Strange Happenings in the Shire
by Swimchick1224
Summary: It all started when she woke up in a field without any memory. Now responsible for a 12-year-old, supposedly her brother, Poppy began her new life in Hobbiton, where some old family friends took them under their wing. She had no idea of the crazy adventures that awaited her... Until she became acquainted with Bilbo Baggins, that is! {Rated T, just in case} Bilbo/OC
1. Prologue

**Hello there! Please keep an open mind when reading this story; I'm sort of testing the waters with it, to see how it goes. Also, the first three chapters will be a little slow, as the story will just be starting out. And as you know, all things of or relating to The Hobbit/ The Lord of the Rings belongs to Tolkien, definitely not me! I'm just a huge fan! :)**

* * *

**Prologue**

It began in the most unlikely of places: a college classroom. Small and yet densely packed with students, no one seemed to notice a short, petite 22 year-old, who sat, half asleep, at the far back. Her light brown hair was tied to the side in a loose braid, and her blue-green eyes began to fog with drowsiness. Despite the girl's eagerness to survive her first semester, she had hardly gotten any rest the night before, and started to nod off, much to her frustration. The professor's lecture slurred in the back of her mind at a bit of an alarming rate. Her friend, May, an athletic student with short, black, pixy-cut hair and mischievous brown eyes, noticed the struggle, and was forced to hold back a giggle as she tapped her on the shoulder.

"Elise!" The pixy-haired girl whispered, grinning as her friend began mumbling a great deal of incoherent nonsense.

Elise leaned forward towards her desk, and May, seizing the moment, gave the girl a light push. The light brown-haired student smacked her head on the wooden surface and let out a gasp of surprise, her eyes filled with shock. Elise gave May such a sharp look that both girls busted out in a fit of laughter. The sound rang throughout the room; a few students turned and glared, causing the friends to blush a deep shade of tomato. Elise tucked a strand of hair behind one ear and nervously casted her blue-green eyes to pixy-girl, who shrugged innocently.

"Whoopsies!" May said, chuckling.

Elise fumed, her face still red. "You had to wake me up in the most troublesome way possible, didn't you?"

May's eyebrows narrowed in both curiosity and anger. "Well EXCUSE me, Miss Drool's A Lot. I was only trying to HELP."

"Oh yeah, very helpful!" Elise retorted.

"Shut up! The professor's looking this way!"

"Talk quieter, then!"

Suddenly the teacher's speech began to dim; he looked up at the girls over the brim of his glasses, and slammed his laser light onto the podium with a huff.

"Ladies, are you quite done back there? I'm trying to teach a class, thank you very much!" He guffawed. Elise could practically see the steam coming from his ears.

"It was her!" May exclaimed, pointing a finger to the brunette. "She wouldn't stop talking, and I was asking her to be respectful to those around her!"

Elise's jaw dropped. "Excuse me!?"

The professor sighed and began marching down the aisle towards his rebellious students. He placed his hands on his hips and stared the 22 year-old down, his gray eyes full of anything but understanding. "What's your name, girl?"

"Elise Rose."

"Right, right. Well, _Elise Rose, _this is not the first time you've caused trouble in my class. I will not give another warning. Leave this room at once. Do I make myself quite clear?"

Elise turned and gaped at May, who was looking anywhere but at her.

"No no no no! This can NOT be happening! Please, Mr. Dawson, just give me one more-"

"Not another word! Leave now, before I call the authorities!"

The brunette absent-mindedly grabbed her bag, which contained a few worn-down books, a notepad, pen, and a granola bar, and stormed out. Her face became red once more upon realizing that everyone was staring at her. But she couldn't think about that; Elise still had a younger sibling to take care of. This class had been her only option towards a better job, more money, and therefore a better life for her 12 year-old brother, Jake. Their parents had passed away five years ago, leaving them in the care of their only remaining relative, their Aunt Grace, a grumpy older woman who was anything but excited about becoming roomies with them.

That was what Elise was most afraid of: facing her aunt. She had agreed to pay for her niece to attend college, and although it wasn't the fanciest of all schools, it was certainly better than nothing.

"Oh, what on earth am I going to do?" The girl thought as she marched towards the bus stop, last week's pay from her job at Mr. Pickles weighing lightly in her pocket. "She'll kick me and Jake out for sure. Maybe I can keep this a secret for now."

* * *

By the time Elise arrived at Aunt Grace's apartment, her little brother was already starting homework in his seat by the kitchen table. His darker brown hair appeared messy, as though he'd been rough housing all day at school. _Maybe he had_, she wondered, smiling.

"Hey, kid," The brunette said, exchanging a quick fist-bump with her sibling. "How's it going?"

"Hmmmph," Jake replied, mumbling as he tapped the pencil on the tip of his nose.

Elise bent down to observe the papers lying on the table, reading off the homework to herself. "What's that? A book report?"

"Yeah," The boy huffed.

"I thought you LIKED reading."

"I do."

"Then what's the problem? At least you get to pick the book!"

"It's my dumb teacher. He grades me way too hard. If I don't ace this project, I might get a C in English."

Elise rubbed her chin, deep in thought. A lightbulb went off as she ran off to her room at the back of the apartment, and began digging through a pile of novels in her closet. A green cover caught her eye, and the brunette's eyes glistened.

"Listen here, brother," she chimed, taking a seat next to the boy. "The key to these kinds of projects, is to find a really good book, one that can hold your interest. Check this one out; it's been a favorite of mine for a long, long time. Dad really liked it, too."

Jake took the novel from his sister's hands, and raised an eyebrow while reading the title out loud. "The Hobbit?"

"You bet! It's a classic, with dragons, adventure, and other awesomeness!"

The boy chuckled, his green eyes suddenly brightening. "Alrighty then. The Hobbit it is!"

* * *

While her brother was beginning to read, lounging comfortably on the couch by the window, Elise slumped over to her bed, flopped down, and curled up in a semi-sprawled-out position. She took her hair out of its braid, noting its sudden curliness. The petite girl looked up at the blue ceiling, then at her toes. Despite being short, she had large feet, just like her brother.

"Maybe we're turning into hobbits," she whispered out loud, smiling at the idea. "I wouldn't mind that... much."

Hours passed, and as ten o'clock came about, and the sky filled with darkness, Elise began to wonder if her aunt would ever come home. She often left and didn't return for days at a time, barely giving her niece and nephew a "hello" before passing out in her room.

Suddenly the front door to the apartment clicked and opened. Jake looked up from the worn pages of his book, but his eyes averted cautiously to the side at who he saw staggering in. Aunt Grace's blonde hair was frizzed and tangled, her brown eyes foggy. She smelled of alcohol and cologne, a normal combination created from afternoons spent drinking with her friends. Elise tiptoed into the living room and sat down protectively next to Jake, who pretended that he hadn't noticed any change in atmosphere.

"Hi there," the 22 year-old said, raising an eyebrow at the older woman. "How was the club?"

Grace spun around so fast that she almost toppled over. Her face was alight with confusion, and she stared drunkenly at the two kids as though she'd never seen them before in her life. "Whuzzat? Whooze you two?"

"Your niece and nephew," Elise replied slowly. "Are you okay? Do you need some help getting to-"

"Whooze you!? Get art oh mah aphartmant, afore I call the phalise!"

Elise took her aunt gently by the arm and began guiding her down the hall. "Calm down, Aunt Grace. I think you had a bit too much to drink tonight. We can talk in the morni-"

"Get aphway from meh! Ret naw!" The woman retorted, smacking her niece's hand away.

The girl took a step back, but never stopped making eye contact. "Please, stop yelling! You'll wake the neighbors."

"Wah nahburrs?! I live alone! All aloooooone, by myseeeelf!"

Jake started giggling from where he sat in his corner of the living room, trying to muffle the sound with his book. But Aunt Grace had noticed; she stared angrily at the boy, her hands balling into fists.

"Oi! Gar aweh from thar yoo nuggat!"

Elise tried stepping in front of her relative, but Grace pushed her down and grabbed Jake by the shoulder, shaking him violently, and screaming "STAP TOUCHING MAH COUCH!".

The 22-year-old knew she only had one option left; she pulled the woman back and half-dragged her brother out the door. Their legs shook as they ran through the hallway and down the stairs, not even bothering with the elevator. Every now and then Elise would look over her shoulder, half expecting Aunt Grace to come chasing after them with a knife. They made it outside safely, and kept walking all the way to a hotel almost a mile away.

"Can we afford to stay here, Ellie?" Jake asked, batting his innocent, green eyes.

"Yeah, this place doesn't look expensive, and I have some cash leftover from yesterday's shift at the sandwich shop. Besides, this place looks better than sleeping at the park, right?"

The boy nodded stiffly, and reached up to hold his sister's hand. They got a small room, which was dusty and smelled of old candy. In a way it was extreme creepypasta, but Elise had to agree that staying on the streets like a hobo would be much worse.

"This place is really weird," Jake mumbled as he began to doze off on his side of the bed. "I don't like it."

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Elise replied softly, smoothing out his darker brown hair.

"We wouldn't have to put up with this if we were hobbits, you know," he whispered, smiling.

"Okay, let's be hobbits then. We'll need new names. I think yours should be... Conrad."

"Sounds good. Yours is... Poppy."

"Poppy?"

"Yeah, like the flower."

Elise shrugged, but continued to grin. " Conrad and Poppy of the Shire. I like the sound of that!"

"Of course you do; you came up with the idea, after all."

The girl gave her brother a light whack on the head, and he chuckled in response.

"You know what El? I think we're gonna be alright."

Elise sighed and turned to look out the foggy window, which had a lovely view of a dark, desolate street, filled with passing cars. Jake was under her total care now, and not only did they not have a house, but she'd been kicked out of college, and received very little pay from her part-time job. WOULD they be okay? Luck was definitely not on their side.

"I hope you're right, kid. I really do."

* * *

**So what did you guys think? I've read The Hobbit, and I'm starting The Fellowship of the Ring, but I had to do a bit of research to make sure my facts for the future chapters were accurate. Please feel free to review and tell me what you think! Advice is much appreciated! :D  
**

***PS: Sorry if there were typos. I re-read each chapter countless types before actually posting them, but there are often typographical errors that I accidently pass over.**

**~Swimchick~**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Map, the Letter, and the Backpack**

The young hobbit girl awoke in a beautiful, perfect field, filled with long, green grass and colorful flowers. A light breeze caressed the sloping hills, and wisps of clouds passed above her, forming the shapes of many curious animals. It was still morning; she could tell from the drops of dew that still clung to the leaves on the trees nearby. It amazed her that she could suddenly see so well. Her vision was _amazing_ now, and the hobbit had a feeling it was a big improvement. She felt relaxed, but confused at the same time. The girl looked around, trying to remember who she was, where she was, and how she'd gotten there. _Best not worry about that now,_ she thought, sighing with contempt. _Might as well enjoy the nice weather first._

Her lovely moment was soon interrupted by a loud snore. She practically jumped out of her skin at the sound, leaping to her feet and facing the loud creature with her hands balled into fists, and she waved them menacingly in the air. To the girl's surprise, there was a hobbit boy about ten years younger than her lying in the grass, next to where she had been. He had curly, brown hair a shade two darker than hers, which was light brown and not quite as curly. The boy seemed to be shorter than her, too, and although she had no idea who he was, he seemed extremely familiar.

A butterfly fluttered softly across his sleeping face, tickling his nose with its wings. The girl held back a chuckle as she watched him fight back a sneeze, which ended up escaping anyway.

"ACHOOOOO!" Sneezing actually awoke the stranger all in its own. His green eyes flew open in shock, and he rolled across the grass in an attempt to collect himself. The girl threw her head back and laughed, practically falling over from the lack of oxygen.

"Hush up!" The boy yelled, stomping across the field with his hands on his hips. "I don't know who you are, but I don't like your attitude!"

"Likewise!" His new 'friend' replied, still grinning from ear to ear. "But I saw that butterfly land on your nose, and the look on your face was priceless!"

"Oh, so it was the BUTTERFLY's fault, eh? Very grown up, blaming the insect!"

"How would YOU know what it means to be grown up?" the girl asked, her eyebrows raised. "You look no older than eleven!"

"Good guess, but I'm TWELVE."

There was a moment of silence. The light brown-haired lass wiggled her toes in the soft grass, looking between her and her strange, new companion; both she and the stranger had round-ish faces, pointy ears, and large, hairy feet.

"So, do you have any idea what's going on here?" the boy asked cautiously. "I have no memory whatsoever, but I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"I don't remember anything either," she said. Suddenly an idea formed in her head, and she started patting down her cloak pockets.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Her friend asked.

"Looking for clues; you should do the same"

The boy shrugged and shoved his hands in the pockets of his cloak and trousers. His face lit up when fingertips touched paper.

"Aha! I found an envelope!" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down as he pulled the letter out. "It looks like a girl's handwriting."

They read the letter together, out loud, their curiosity peaking.

'Dear Mr. Grubb,

I'd like to thank you for getting back to me so quickly. You see, my brother Conrad and I have roamed the land for a long time, trying to find a home. Ever since our parents passed away, and our aunt kicked us out, I've done everything I could to take care of him, but times are tough, without a roof over our heads during the night. Your information about the Shire and the map provided has given us a spark of hope! Maybe the tables have turned at last!"

Yours truly,

Poppy Boffin"

"How strange!" The young woman said after a few minutes, breaking the silence. "Do you have any more letters? Apparently there's supposed to be one more explaining some place called the Shire."

The lad shook his head, but checked his pockets once more. "Nope. Hmm, I but wonder who wrote that? You, maybe?"

They shared curious glances as the hobbit lass pulled a pen out of her cloak; it had been hiding! She quickly scribbled out a few words on the envelope, and let out a squeal of excitement upon realizing that the ink and handwriting perfectly matched that of the letter they'd found.

"At least we know who we are! You must be Poppy!" The boy cheered. "And that makes me Conrad! Conrad and Poppy Boffin... Sounds good to me!"

"Yeah, I suppose so," His sister replied, forcing a nervous smile. "I can't tell if I'm happy about that. I mean, as the older sibling, I have to take care of you... And apparently we don't have any parents..."

"How do you know how old we are?" Conrad asked, tucking a stray piece of curly, brown hair behind one pointed ear.

"I just KNOW. I'm... 22, and you're-"

"TWELVE! That's right, we remember our ages! Great!"

Poppy adjusted her dress, which had a yellow vest, white sleeves, and a white skirt. She was barefoot, of course, and very comfortably so. Conrad looked quite boyish in dark blue trousers and a brown and white striped shirt; the sleeves were rolled up, and he had a gray backpack around his shoulders. They both wore dark green cloaks, as well.

" So, SIS," Conrad began, fumbling with one of the backpack straps, "What do you suppose we do now?"

Poppy turned her head and looked around at the endless array of meadows; at the farthest point in her field of vision, she saw the grass become rows of corn, and there even seemed to be houses beyond that.

"We'll go in THAT direction," she answered, pointing to the farmland. "Maybe we can find someone to take us in, like that guy I addressed the letter to. Mr. Grubb, was his name?Yes. We ARE still quite young, after all; I'm not even of-age!"

"Alrighty then. Poppy and Conrad Boffin, two young hobbits with a desire for adventure and a yearning for the truth!" Her brother exclaimed in a deep voice. "Let's go!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Great Deal of Walking**

It was early afternoon by the time Poppy and Conrad arrived in the Shire homesteads; they even passed through Michel Delving, which was alight with hobbits fulfilling their daily tasks. Many gave the siblings queer looks, some smiled and waved, while others simply shrugged them off.

"I don't think these people like strangers all that much," the twelve year-old boy said, studying the soft, earth path ahead and avoiding the strangers' eyes.

"Try to look friendly, and they'll warm up," Poppy replied, batting her pretty blue-green eyes and smiling kindly to the hobbits who glanced their way.

After what seemed like centuries, they approached a series of houses; some were built into the sides of hills, while others were set up in plain sight. The change in atmosphere quickly grew from busy to quiet, almost the second they reached the River passing in front of them. Poppy led her younger brother over the Bridge, not at all nervous about the rushing water beneath her feet, but feeling as though she should be. More hobbits casted curious looks in their direction, but the siblings continued to try to appear friendly and not at all threatening.

Poppy noticed two stout women talking in front of one of the houses; the thinner of the two was tending to a vegetable garden, while the other was leaning against the mailbox and twirling a lock of her own reddish-brown hair.

"Hey, let's go ask them if they know the Grubbs," The 22-year-old suggested, giving her brother a nudge with her elbow. "Let me do the talking, alright?"

Conrad nodded as his sister began skipping a little ways ahead of him, her light brown, wavy hair swaying behind her. _She looks so ridiculous_, he thought, stifling a giggle.

"Hello!" Poppy chimed once she was a few feet in front of the hobbit women, who looked up from their conversation at the sound of her voice.

"Ummm, hi there," The stouter lady replied as her friend stood up and began wiping her dirt-covered hands on her apron. "Can we help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for the Grubb family. Do you know where I can find them?"

"My dear girl, they live quite a ways from here! Go back in the direction you came from, more towards Hobbiton, cross the River, and head for the Hill."

Poppy motioned for her brother to throw the map, which he had found in his cloak pocket earlier. She turned it around, squinting until she found her location, and then the place where they needed to be. Her jaw dropped in shock, and she began to pout a little.

"I'm sorry Miss, did you say HOBBITON? As in, the farmland place? Where we just WERE?" She gasped, looking over her shoulder at Conrad, who face palmed himself.

"That's right. And if I were you, I would change my attitude, and be a bit more respectful," The woman said with a frown. "Now go on, be on your way!"

Poppy stomped back over to Conrad, who was smacking his ahead against a nearby tree and muttering "stupid stupid stupid STUPID...!".

"Hush up, you!" the young hobbit lass fumed, her hands on her hips. "It's not my fault! If we'd known where Mr. Grubb lived in the first place-"

"No, Poppy, listen! All we had to do was read the bloody address on that envelope! We could've saved us an entire day's worth of traveling!"

"Look who's stupid now, brother!" the brunette chuckled, giving the boy a light whack on the shoulder. "Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. Let's start walking... again."

* * *

Night soon overtook the sky, much to their dismay. By the time the rolling fields of Hobbiton had returned, the siblings were dragging their feet. Conrad was nodding off, and every now and then Poppy would have to wake him up and keep him from falling over.

"Can't... Go... Any...Farther!" The boy exclaimed.

"You have to, kiddo. Look! I can see the River! Oh, we're SO close!" Poppy replied, taking her brother's hand and practically dragging him down the road.

There were no more hobbits roaming the path. In fact, only a few homes were still lit up, while others had darkened out for the evening. Stars twinkled innocently above the young people's heads, although it did not bring much comfort. Looking at the rows of homes, Poppy tried to match up the address on the unmailed envelope with those around her. After much debate, they settled on a hobbit hole with white walls and a light red door.

"Again, let me do the talking, okay?" Poppy said, walking up the front path.

"Oh yeah, because that worked SO well last time!" Conrad huffed, folding his arms. "I really hope this is the right place. My feet hurt, and the soles are practically leather!"

The 22-year-old knocked on the door, her hand shaking slightly. A man answered, his grey hair tousled. It took a few minutes for Poppy to realize that she'd woken him up, although she could clearly see a flame still burning in the fireplace.

"Good afternoon!" She said, smiling innocently. "Is this, by any chance, the Grubb residence?"

"Nope, you're a house off. Check out the one to the left, the light brown hobbit-hole with the blue door. I believe Master Grubb and his wife are still outside, probably reading or smoking a pipe, or whatever it is they do," the sleepy fellow mumbled, adjusting his glasses just slightly.

"Awesome, thanks!" Poppy called back, holding up her dress skirt so that she could run next door, with Conrad at her heels.

Truth be told, a very nice-looking couple sat on a wooden bench outside of their home, the man smoking and his wife reading under the light coming from their window. They both looked up suddenly upon seeing the two young hobbits approach, although Mrs. Grubb smiled kindly.

"Excuse me, but you two are the Grubb family, right?" Conrad asked.

The man chuckled, exchanging an amused glance with his wife. "I sure hope so, that's the name we painted on our mailbox! How can we be of service?"

"We're Poppy and Conrad Boffin, and we seem to have lost most of our memory. My brother here found a letter in his pocket, written by me, addressed to you, Mr. Grubb. You apparently sent us a map at some point, and we used it to come here, in hopes that you could help us," Poppy explained.

Mr. Grubb's brown eyes widened a bit, and he almost choked on the smoke he'd been inhaling. His wife gave him a pat on the back before leaping to her feet, running across the lawn, and engulfing both siblings a hug.

"Oh goodness, my dears, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you before! It's been years since I've last seen you! You, young lad, were only about seven years old, and your sister seventeen! My, my, how you've grown!" She said.

"So we're family-friends or something?" Conrad asked, earning him a stern look from Poppy at his sharp tone.

"That's a bit of an understatement!" Mr. Grubb replied, chuckling as he rustled the boy's curly hair. "We grew up with your parents, good pals we were! Your father and I used to make mud castles in the backyard after it rained, when we were little tykes!"

"Yes, we've been checking in on you two ever since the... accident, occurred. After that my husband and I stepped back for a while, being as how that shrill aunt of yours despised our presence," Mrs. Grubb added, concern in her voice.

"The... accident?" Poppy squeaked, feeling a chill travel down her spine.

"Oh yes, that's right, I forgot what you said about losing your memory. Come on inside, and we'll do our best to explain. In fact, why don't I make some tea, and pull out the seed cakes? I haven't had my after-dinner snack yet, you know."

The siblings giggled and followed the older couple into their quaint little home. They'd had a long day, and their tummies rumbled at the thought of food.

_Maybe the tables truly HAVE turned_, Poppy thought, smiling to herself. _Perhaps even for the better!_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Plunge Into The River**

Conrad and Poppy followed Mr and Mrs Grubb into their hobbit-hole, straight for the kitchen. The strong smell of herbs, spices and bread greeted them instantly, making their stomachs growl. Both siblings slid quickly into two of the dining room chairs, while their hostess began fiddling around with the cupboards.

"I'll get that tea started right away," Mrs. Grubb said, placing a plate of seed cakes down on the table in front of them. Steam was still visibly rising from the pastries, and the two young hobbits began to drool a little.

"When it comes to tea, I'm more of an apple cinnamon kind of guy myself," Conrad blurted through a mouthful of cake; his sister gave him a light "whack" on the shoulder before casting an apologetic smile towards their hostess.

"You're in luck then!" Mrs. Grubb chimed as she filled her kettle with water. "My husband just bought me a boxful of apple cinnamon and lemon tea bags while in town this afternoon."

"Hallelujah !" The boy cheered.

"So on a completely random topic," Poppy said in between sips of her beverage, which did a wonderful job of warming her empty belly. "Would you two happen to know of a place where we can stay, here in the Shire?"

"Don't be silly, dear!" Mrs. Grubb gasped, looking offended. "You're more than welcome to stay with us, for as long as you need to! Young hobbits such as yourselves need to grow up with adults around, in a nice home, and with good food."

"Sounds great to me!" Conrad replied. "So, we can stay here, like, forever?"

Mr. Grubb, who had been passing by to grab a seed cake, laughed at the boy's remark and ruffled his dark brown hair. "Of course! You're practically family! Besides, the wife and I never had any children; it would be good, adopting an heir or two!"

This definitely caught Poppy by surprise. Although it was obvious that she and Conrad had known the older couple before, and were apparently good friends, it felt as though they were meeting each other for the first time! She didn't want to impose or become a burden, despite how lovely it sounded to grow up by the Hill. Conrad, on the other hand, seemed completely ecstatic about the idea. The 22-year-old decided that she would sleep on it, and discuss the master plan with her brother in the morning.

Now that they were under the light of the kitchen, Poppy could see Mrs. Grubb much more clearly. The older hobbit, like her husband, had white, curly hair, and bright brown eyes. They appeared to be in their late seventy's, early eighty's, although the young lass didn't dare to ask.

"I was a bit curious about something I noticed while roaming the Shire today," she stated after downing her tea. "Most of the hobbits here have brown hair and brown eyes. Is that hereditary, or just a coincidence?"

"Oh, I think it's a Shire thing," Mr. Grubb answered, sitting across from his guests. "Your green eyes are very pretty, but they stand out like an orange tree in an apple vineyard. Perhaps that's why you received such queer looks from the villagers."

"How do YOU know that people were looking at us funny?" Conrad asked with a raised eyebrow. "We haven't said anything to you about that."

"Oh, just a lucky guess, I suppose..."

A comfortable silence fell over the room. It wasn't like the kind experienced with strangers, but the silence that might overcome a family from time to time, not awkward in any way. Conrad soon began to nod off, followed by a great deal of yawning on Poppy's behalf. The Grubbs led their guests to their spare rooms, and by that point the lass was practically sleepwalking, so she didn't feel like questioning the older couple's intentions anymore. One thing that clung to her mind, however, was the hope of learning more about her parents, and what led her and Conrad to becoming orphans.

* * *

Poppy had a nice, dreamless night. When she woke up the sun was streaming brightly through her bedroom window, casting shadows across the walls. She took a moment to let her eyes adjust before getting up and stretching her arms. As the lass walked over to the door, she tripped over a long object on the floor, which yelped in surprise almost as loudly as she did.

Poppy took a nosedive to the hardwood floor and hit the ground most ungracefully. When she looked up at what she had tripped on, her eyes practically bursted into flames, with hypothetical steam coming out of her ears.

"CONRAD!" she screamed, smacking him in the face with a pillow that had fallen with her. "YOU JERK! WHAT IN THE NAME OF MIDDLE EARTH ARE YOU DOING ON MY FLOOR!?"

"Pssht, heck if I know!" her brother replied with a shrug. "I sort of just... got here, ya' know?"

"No, I DON'T know!" Poppy spat, getting to her feet and wiping dust off of her wrinkled dress. "Did you sleepwalk or something?"

"Maybe...?"

Poppy rolled her eyes and walked out the door, then tiptoed down the hallway with her brother following at her heels in a very loud manner. They still hadn't discussed wether or not to stay with the Grubbs, and the young hobbits needed fresh air, anyways. Mrs. Grubb was already in the kitchen, her curly white hair tied loosely in a bun as she prepared some kind of breakfast.

"Good morning!" The older woman chirped over her shoulder, her ears twitching as she heard her guests trying to sneak past. "The food won't be done for a while. Why don't you two go get cleaned up, and introduce yourselves to the neighbors? There's a brush on the bathroom counter, Poppy."

Poppy fought the urge to roll her eyes at Mrs. Grubb's not-so-subtle request. She might as well have said, "Go find a comb and make yourself decent-looking, hint-hint, nudge-nudge, wink-wink." The hobbit lass knew her hair probably looked like a rat's nest, but she would've brushed it out on her own.

With a sigh Poppy trudged into the bathroom and yanked on the tangled mess that had become of her hair overnight. Afterwards, she attempted to smoothen out the creases in her dress, but to no avail. _Oh well, at least my hair almost cooperated today!_ She thought, opening the door and tossing the brush to her younger brother. Sadly Poppy's hand-I coordination had never been great, and instead of the object heading for Conrad, it veered off to the left and knocked a jar of flowers off the nearest end table.

The young hobbits flinched, their eyes wide with shock as Mrs. Grubb whirled around and stared at the glass on the floor. Just when Poppy thought she was going to get the lecture of a lifetime, her hostess merely sighed and began cleaning up the mess herself.

"Forget combing your hair, Con. Just... go outside, you two. We'll talk later," Mrs. Grubb said.

The siblings didn't need to be told twice. Poppy grabbed her brother by the elbow and towed him out the round, light blue door. Sunlight shone from behind the small trees that surrounded the hobbit-hole, and the smell of flowers wafted across the front lawn. Feeling a bit shy, the 22-year-old decided to walk towards the River instead of meeting her neighbors. She and Conrad strolled silently across the fields, which were alight with blooming flowers and green grass, and felt soft underfoot.

As they approached their destination, the siblings could hear the sound of rushing water, and to their surprise, saw a boy sitting by the edge of the River, his face pressed into a book. They stopped in their tracks, unsure of how to approach the stranger. Suddenly Conrad looked over to the left, where he noticed two other lads hiding behind a bush. One of them, a tall youngster with shaggy, black hair and green eyes, waved Poppy and her brother over. The other boy, who was almost as tall as the first, but a bit pudgier, with short, red hair and brown eyes, held two fingers to his lips as if to silence them.

Conrad tiptoed up to the two hobbit lads and sat beside them, leaving Poppy exposed, in the open, behind the reading stranger. She sent daggers at her brother, who pointed to a space behind her. Turning around, she spotted a girl who, like the boy with the interesting-looking book, appeared to be about her age, and was watching the boys from a long distance away. Poppy crept backwards until she was far from the stranger, and standing beside the lass.

"Phew!" She gasped in relief, her heart racing. "I barely made it out alive!"

"No need to remind me! I saw the whole thing!" the new girl replied, giggling. "Although I would've LOVED to see the look on Bilbo Baggins' face when he saw you standing behind him! Oh, how he would've blushed!"

"Bilbo Baggins?" Poppy said, a spark of familiarity going off. She could not, for the life of her, recall where she'd heard the name before. "You mean the guy that's reading by the River over there?"

"Mmhhhmmm," the girl mumbled, not taking her eyes off the three boys hiding behind the bush. Poppy noticed that both her new acquaintance and the chubbier boy had the same red hair and brown eyes.

"You see that kid over there that kind of looks like me? That's my 14 year-old brother, Hending. And I'm Malva Twofoot, 21, by the way!" She exclaimed, holding out one hand, which Poppy shook gratefully. "Are you one of the kids that the Grubb family took in last night?"

"Yes, I'm Poppy Boffin, and the brown-haired boy over there is my brother, Conrad. We're, ummm, family-friends with Mr and Mrs Grubb."

Malva made an O with her mouth, then returned to her friendly smile. "Wonderful! Are you permanently living with them, then? Rumor has it they're adopting you two as their heirs!"

The 22 year-old frowned slightly to herself. How had the news traveled so fast overnight? She and Conrad never told anyone, and the Grubbs had been in their hobbit-hole all morning!

"Who's that other boy?" Poppy asked, trying to change the subject.

"That's Marcho Sandyman. His older brother Will is three years older than me, and quite the charmer, too!"

"Oh... I mean, um, really?"

"Yes, but he hardly talks to girls..."

The look in Malva's eye told Poppy that she'd tried to get the boy's attention, and without success.

"And what about that, uh, Bilbo Baggins kid? What's his story?" The light brown-haired girl added, chewing on the inside of her cheek absent-mindedly. There was something about the boy's silent, studious demeanor, and how he appeared to be completely lost in his book, that made Poppy want to know more about him.

"Oh, you don't want to be friends with him." Malva tossed her head back and laughed at the almost frightened look on her new friend's face. "Don't worry, he's not rude or anything! His family is, in fact, one if the most respected in the Shire!"

"Then what's so bad about him?"

"Bilbo's just... I dunno, a bit of a stick-in-the mud. He's kind of like Will in that way; cute, but very lost when it comes to girls. Although the boy's quite friendly when spoken to, he often sticks to himself."

"And...?"

"AND he's queer, always wanting to hear news about the world outside of the Shire. A bit too adventurous for his own good, might I add!"

Poppy nodded, her eyes traveling over to Bilbo as she watched him. Like many hobbits, he had curly brown hair and big, hairy feet. She tilted her head to the side as she observed, wishing his back wasn't faced towards her so that she could see what color his eyes were.

"H-how old is he?" She asked, turning back towards Malva.

"Twenty four, I believe," the redhead replied. "You should go introduce yourselves to those boys! If you're going to be living here, you might as well make some friends... Besides me, of course."

On most occasions, Poppy would've used this as the perfect opportunity to dig a very deep hole and take cover for the day. But at that moment she felt brave, and decided to go along with it.

"Alright," she answered, following Malva quietly over to the bush where Conrad and his new friends were.

"Hending! Marcho!" The red-haired lass whispered sharply, causing all three boys to immediately look up. "This is Poppy. Be nice to her, you hear?"

A chorus of "yep"s and "sure thing"s arose from the young hobbits, although they were pretty much ignoring her.

"Hey, Con," Poppy greeted her younger brother before taking a seat beside him. "What are you guys doing?"

"Spying on Bilbo," Marcho replied, grinning. The 22-year-old noticed that the black-haired lad was missing one of his front teeth. "He's so strange. We're thinking about sneaking up on him, giving him a scare!"

"No!" Poppy yelped, which earned her many curious looks from the other hobbits. She quickly clamped a hand in front of her mouth.

"Why not?" Hending asked.

"Because... It's not nice!"

Conrad rolled his eyes. "Since when did you become such a goody-goody, sis?"

Poppy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She shook her head and got to her feet, wiping stray pieces of grass and dirt particles from her skirt.

"Never mind," she muttered, walking back towards the redhead.

"C'mon, Poppy, I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Malva said, looping her arm through hers and winking. "Especially Will!"

* * *

Conrad watched his sister strut away, a pang of annoyance hitting him hard. _Why can't she just let me do what I want?_ He thought, gritting his teeth slightly.

Hending, who had been plotting the sneak-attack on Bilbo with Marcho, took notice, and stopped to put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The chubby lad asked.

"I'm just angry with my sister. Go back to...whatever it was you were doing."

"No way! I have a sister, too, you know. I'm very familiar with what it feels like to be bossed around constantly."

Marcho rolled his eyes , but continued to draw his diagram of their plan in the dirt. "You know what our new pal needs, Hen? An attack! On Baggins! That'll cheer him up in a jiffy!"

Conrad's eyes widened noticeably. "But Poppy said-"

"Who cares what she said? Poppy's a GIRL! Now let's go, Boffin- Hending and I won't take 'no' for an answer!"

After discussing the attack one last time, the three boys took their positions at three spots in the field. Unbeknownst to Bilbo, Marcho was sneaking up from the left, Hending on the right, and Conrad from behind. The lad was so engrossed in his novel that his ears barely twitched when the redhead accidentally stomped on a twig.

Marcho mouthed a countdown from three, and Conrad gave Bilbo a great push from behind while the other two leaped out from behind the trees and yelled "BOO!". Poppy's brother had accidentally pushed the boy much harder than he meant to, and to his dismay the poor Baggins toppled forward into the River, his novel flying back and landing safely on the ground behind him. Conrad shouted a curse before bolting down to the Water's edge.

"This is bad, really bad!" Hending cried, biting nervously on his fingernails.

"Why!? Can't he swim!?" Conrad hollered over the roaring of the River.

"NO! Hardly any hobbits can!"

Poppy returned upon hearing the boys' screaming, but before Conrad could beg for help, his sister dove gracefully into the River and began paddling towards the drowning victim.

* * *

Bilbo thrashed about, his lungs filling with the ice-cold water every time he sank under. Fear gripped his heart, and eventually he had to stop screaming for help in order to preserve oxygen. _I'm going to die, I'm going to die...!_ He thought, forcing back tears.

Suddenly there was a loud "SWOOSH!". To Bilbo's delight, he swore he saw a head of long, brown hair, and maybe even blue-green eyes headed his way. _Is that a GIRL? No, I must be hallucinating!_ The young hobbit decided.

Before he could ponder the idea any longer, he blacked out.


	5. Chapter 4

**So before I start the story, I would just like to thank the person who sent me the lovely review for Chapter 3, and all of you who have been reading up until this point. You guys are awesome, and I greatly appreciate your support! :D Let's bring on the update!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Rescue**

Marcho, Hending, Malva, and even Conrad stared in shock and disbelief as Poppy bolted across the grass and dove gracefully into the roaring Waters of the River, which seemed to ingulf her entirely. She broke the surface, took a huge breath, and began swimming freestyle downstream, letting the current push her, make her faster. She felt stronger, and at the same time, relaxed and agile while swimming. The hobbit lass could not remember when she'd learned how to swim, or even how she was capable of it, but she let her instincts take over and picked up the pace. Her heart raced with both terror and adrenaline every time she saw Bilbo's head pop up above the Water, and then disappear just as quickly.

The River was about seven feet deep, a bit of an endearing depth for someone just peaking at three feet tall herself. Bilbo sank to the bottom, his body dragging along in the sand. Poppy dove back under, struggling against the current now. Her lungs burned with the effort of not breathing for so long, her eyes stung from being open in the river water, and little bits of sand pierced her face. But she couldn't think about that, not at that moment. In fact, Poppy knew she'd never forgive herself if she couldn't save the poor young Baggins, and the very thought scared her to a point beyond description.

When she finally reached Bilbo, the 22-year-old hobbit grabbed him under the arms and pulled him to the surface. She then floated on her back, her arms looped through his. She let him lie unconsciously on her chest while she attempted an awkward one-armed backstroke to the side of the River. By then the current had slowed down, making it easier for Poppy to drag poor Bilbo onto the creek bed. Stepping out of the rushing Water also made him weigh that much more, however, so the struggle balanced out.

She looked upstream, where her friends were racing to catch up and watch. Poppy pulled Bilbo up onto the grass and automatically got to work. She made a fist with one hand, covered it with the other hand, and pressed both on his upper torso, pushing down quite harshly. Every time she did this, the boy's chest and head heaved forward a little bit. Poppy gasped for air through gritted teeth. She wasn't sure what her life-saving methods were called exactly, although a few words began to float about in her mind. "Compressions, CPR, Unconscious..."

Suddenly Bilbo coughed up a great deal of water, but remained out cold. Poppy leaned her face dangerously close to his, although she couldn't feel any air escaping his lips or nose. She was glad that his lungs were clear of the River, but now she had to face a new problem: the patient couldn't breathe. Looking around, the hobbit lass let out an audible gulp, watching Conrad and company still trying to catch up to her. Without thinking, Poppy pinched Bilbo's nose, tilted his head back, and pressed her mouth to his.

Unbeknownst to her, Conrad had finally approached her, and was giggling behind his sister, while the others, especially Malva, stared in shock.

"Hey, Poppy!" The twelve-year-old lad called with his hands cupped around his mouth. "You're supposed to kiss the boy when he's AWAKE, not asleep!"

Poppy rolled her eyes and continued to do mouth-to-mouth. She sat back as, much to her relief, Bilbo coughed up more water, and began to take in deep, shallow breaths. She also realized, however, that her upper body was still sprawled awkwardly across his chest, from when she'd been saving his life. But before Poppy could take a step back, or adjust her position in the slightest, the lad's eyes opened.

* * *

Bilbo's POV

Whenever I try to think about the events leading up to blacking out, I always picture a blurry vision, quite hard to comprehend. I recall thrashing about against the ice-cold current of the River, my lungs filling with water and my body numbing. After I while I stopped struggling, stopped fighting; I sank down, down, down into the bottom of the sand, my chest burning with the urge to breathe but my arms and legs failing me. Then, out of the blue! a girl's face appeared, so close and yet so far. But before I could reach out to her, I blacked out, leaving me in a sleep-like state.

After what seemed like hours, I could feel the soft grass against my skin once more, and hear shouts coming from the distance. Although I didn't even have enough strength to open my eyes, and my minds was foggy, I felt the pressure of someone pushing against my torso. My body was moving involuntarily, thrashing about and heaving this way and that. The numbness subsided in my fingers and toes, and I sensed that someone was leaning on me.

There was a pause; the pressure stopped, and I heard deep breathing coming from whoever was trying to save my life. I could make out a few details about my surroundings, but for the most part I was drifting away, practically floating off into space. Everything was a dark, foggy, blurry mess that I had no way of comprehending.

The pause ended, followed by someone pinching my nose, tilting my head back, and...

Wait a minute, was someone KISSING me?

A voice echoed off in the background, confirming my worst fears. And yet whatever was happening, it did something amazing! Air filled my lungs, and most of the numbness wore off. Without wanting to, my body heaved to the side, and I coughed up water, this time aware of it. When I flopped onto my back again, I was able to breathe completely, the air filling my chest and escaping in small, frightened gasps.

I cautiously opened my eyes, which instantly met a pair of green ones staring at me from barely a hand's-distance away. No, they weren't just green; there were flecks of blue there, too. Her light brown, curly hair was soaking wet; it clung to her sides, even framed her face.

I was suddenly aware of the fact that this girl, the one who dove fearlessly into the River and saved my life, was sprawled out across my upper body, one hand on my chest and the other on the ground, supporting her. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it quickly. The girl sniffled as a lone tear passed down her face. I furrowed my brow, confused; why was she crying? A pang of sympathy hit me hard, and my hand involuntarily rose and wiped the tear away.

"I'm s-sorry," she whispered, smiling shyly. "It's just that I thought I didn't rescue you in time. You were sinking, and I pulled you out, but you still weren't responding and I thought.. I thought you were... It looked like you had..."

Before the girl stopped stuttering, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me, a cry of relief escaping her lips. I closed my eyes and hugged her back, still confused, but enjoying the moment. I expected the embrace to warm me, but my rescuer was just as cold as I was, maybe more so. She started shivering so hard that her whole body was practically convulsing.

"Ahem!"

We both looked up in unison, although I was still watching her, out the corner of my eye. A light blush began to spread across her cheeks, turning her skin to a rosy red as she got to her feet and took a step away, and her dress dripping with water. The people around me were whispering, looking anywhere but at me. A boy stepped out from behind the trees and handed a blanket to the girl, who smiled and thanked him sweetly before wrapping it around her shoulders. He was tall, with black hair and green eyes, and stood next to a lad with similar physical qualities.

"Hey there Baggins," the older black-haired hobbit said, grinning and tossing me a blanket. "You almost died, you know."

"Thanks for the reminder, Will," I rasped, leaning forward into a sitting position.

"I seriously thought you WERE dead!" Hending squeaked. "Good thing Miss Poppy was here to rescue you!"

"Poppy?" I whispered, testing the name on my tongue as I looked up at the girl with the blue-green eyes. She blushed again from where she stood beside Will.

"It was nothing, really," she replied. "I'm just so glad you're oka-"

Her answer was cut off by a sharp cough that started in her chest and practically threw her body forward. Much like when I'd wiped the tear away, my legs moved without my consent. I jumped up, the blanket falling to the floor. Will stepped back in surprise as I pushed between him and Poppy, wrapping my arm around the girl and holding her up. She would've toppled over, without me to support her.

"Oh dear, oh my, are you quite alright?" I mumbled, probably not making sense. None of the words coming to mind seemed to work well enough.

"Yes, thank you," Poppy answered, smiling again. It was such a kind gesture that I ended up grinning right back.

"C'mon, Poppy, I'll walk you and your brother home," Will said, trying to pull her away from me.

"No!" I blurted, earning me a warning look from the black-haired lad, and curious glances from the others. Clearing my throat, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "I mean, my hobbit-hole is, uh, the closest here. Poppy and her brother-"

"Conrad!" The boy with the brown hair called.

"She and Conrad are more than welcome to visit my home. Mum will make tea and soup for her, if she wants it. I don't know what I'd do if Poppy caught a sickness on my behalf!"

I turned and looked over at the girl, who pulled the blanket higher up on her shoulders. Conrad took his sister gently by the arm and started walking off in the opposite direction.

"Wrong way!" Malva called. The boy shot her a thumb's up before turning around and going towards Bagshot Row.

"Maybe you'd better lead the way, Mr. Baggins," Poppy suggested with a light chuckle.

"Yes, I suppose so," I replied. "And please, call me Bilbo."

"Alright then... Bilbo."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A Bit of Courage**

Poppy waved goodbye to her friends as they turned and walked off in the opposite direction. Will looked suspiciously between her and Bilbo, who was sitting with Conrad on the ground, telling him about Bag End. Malva gave her a slight finger wave before skipping off, careful to keep a noticeable distance between her and the black-haired lad.

"Excuse me, Bilbo, but I need to speak with my brother alone for a bit," Poppy said, taking Conrad by the shoulder and guiding him out of hearing range. She took a deep breath, her chest aching form the chill of the Water. The halfling knew she didn't have the strength left to scold him too harshly, but something needed to be said, of course!

"Listen, I know that you know who pushed Bilbo into the River today," she began, wishing she didn't have a blanket wrapped around her, so that she could put her hands on her hips. "So fess up! Who did it?"

Conrad stared at the ground and used one of his big toes to draw circles in the dirt. "Itwassortofmyfault."

"What was that? I couldn't quite follow you there."

"It was my fault!" The boy squeaked.

Poppy stomped one foot on the ground and narrowed her eyes. "I knew it! Oh boy, did I know it! In fact, I specifically told you before hand that participating in the attack was a bad idea."

"I agree, but-"

"But nothing! Now listen here. You are to march straight home-"

"Poppy, please, I-"

"-pull out a pen and piece of paper-"

"In my defense-"

"-and write a long, nice, heart-felt apology to Mr. Baggins! Then tomorrow you will stop by and read it to him!"

"Out LOUD!?"

"Out LOUD!"

Poppy gave her younger brother a slight push towards the Grubb's house, just as Bilbo was cautiously making his way back over. He cleared his throat and began rocking on his feet, wringing his hands behind his back like a guilty schoolboy.

"So I take it Conrad will not be joining us this afternoon?"

"No, he needs to learn his lesson," the light brown-haired lass replied, shivering again as a breeze swept across the hillside. "I guess it's just you and me!"

Bilbo tilted his head to the side, noticing how cold his rescuer was, even with one blanket around her shoulders. He jogged back to where they'd been sitting earlier, picked up the towel that Will had given him, and returned swiftly.

"You must be freezing!" Poppy gasped, taking a step towards him. "Why didn't you use the blank-"

Before she could finish, the hobbit tween took his quilt and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her shivering stopped, and Poppy gave him a grateful smile.

"Well, um, shall we?" Bilbo asked nervously, waving a hand towards Bagshot Row. "My mother makes amazing soup, by the way..."

Poppy giggled as she listened to him drag on about the many foods he and his parents enjoy cooking. She occasionally added that she had never been much of a chef herself, but for the most part just listened, and watched him, taking in as many details as possible; the sparkle in his eye whenever he laughed, the boyish way he became excited over books, etc. Poppy loved reading, too, and proudly told him that.

"It appears we have a great deal on common, Miss Poppy," Bilbo said with a warm smile. The girl suddenly noticed how close the were walking, their shoulders practically touching. And yet she didn't feel uncomfortable, a factor she was quite thankful for.

"Yes, it appears so," she replied happily.

By the time they approached Bag End, Bilbo was so relaxed that he swung his arms with each step, and began talking more and more. Poppy enjoyed chatting with him; he had a way of making her feel at ease.

In front of the hobbit-hole was a nicely crafted, wooden fence. Being as the home was built into the side of a hill, it's roof was covered with a thick, moss-like grass, much like the fields surrounding it. The door and windows were beautifully designed, obviously with a skillful hand. At the top of the stone steps, on the front porch, sat a wooden bench, perfect for reading, Poppy decided. All in all the place had a serene, calming atmosphere; the hobbit lass fell in love with it instantly.

"Oh Bilbo, your home is extraordinary!" She gasped, running her hand along the edge of the fence.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to pass that onto my father. He built Bag End, you know," the boy said humbly.

"No, I was unaware!"

Unknown to them, a hobbit woman with long hair, darker than Bilbo's, had been tending to the family garden nearby, wearing a red dress with a pale, cream-colored apron. She raised her eyebrows upon seeing the tweens pass by, and hearing them talk. The woman became especially curious of Poppy; she'd heard that the Grubbs recently acquired some new mouths to feed, but it surprised her to see her son chatting so casually. Bilbo was an adventurous lad, no doubt, but often a shy one, too.

"Well!" The woman, Belladonna Took, exclaimed with a shake of her head and a sly grin. "It appears we have a guest!"

Belladonna wiped her dirt-covered hands on her apron and walked down the stone steps quietly. Bilbo and Poppy were enjoying their conversation so much, that they didn't even notice the woman pass right in front of them. She meant to sneak back inside, until she saw that both of them were soaking wet.

"What on earth...?" She gasped, finally catching the young hobbits' attentions.

"Oh, uh, hullo Mum," Bilbo mumbled, his face turning red a little.

"Hello, indeed!" Belladonna huffed, folding her arms.,"I don't know what's been going on between you two, but swimming in the River together is both dangerous and-"

"I fell in, Mum," Bilbo interrupted. His friend let out a small, barely audible sigh of relief.

_He's so kind for not telling her that it was Conrad's fault_, Poppy thought to herself.

"How many times must I ask you not to read so close to the Water, son?" Belladonna asked, concern in her voice as she turned to the girl. "What happened to you, dear? Are you alright?"

"I rescued him," Poppy answered proudly, but sneezed quite loudly before she could continue.

Bilbo's mother opened the beautiful green door of Bag End and ushered the tweens inside. "Don't worry, you can explain later, if you wish. But for now I'll go prepare some soup, and perhaps tea. That'll warm you right up!"

Poppy and Bilbo joined her in the kitchen and watched her cook. Later they met Bungo Baggins in the dining room for supper. The adult hobbits spoke kindly with the lass their son had brought home, admiring her personality. Poppy didn't even feel nervous around Bilbo's parents, but at ease, as she did with him. After the soup was gone and the tea kettle empty, Belladonna and Bungo excused themselves for an early night's rest, and retreated to their bedroom, leaving Bilbo and Poppy alone.

"Can you kids please finish cleaning up the kitchen?" Bungo called over his shoulder. "And no funny business tonight, you understand?"

His wife smacked him lightly on the arm and muttered something like, "Leave them be! Our son is quite the gentlehobbit, you know! And Poppy is responsible, too!"

Poppy blushed into the towel she was using to dry her plate off, hoping Bilbo hadn't noticed.

"I recall you mentioning earlier that you, too, have a love of books," the lad said once he and his guest had finished clearing their dishes.

"Very much, yes," she replied.

"Well, I just so happen to have many shelves of novels, in the study. Would you like to read for a while?"

Poppy's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded her head faster than one could say "rabbit".

"Oh yes, that sounds wonderful!" She gasped, skipping off to see if she could locate the study on her own.

Bilbo helped her find a book that caught her interest, and then, after retrieving the one he was in the middle of, guided her into the parlor. The young hobbits started out sitting on opposite sides of the couch, both lost in thought and mind as the stories began to unfold. But Poppy wasn't comfortable leaning on the very edge, and began scooting closer to the lad, who hardly noticed until he looked up, and saw her sitting right next to him!

Minutes turned to hours, and the tweens let themselves lose track of time. At around eleven, Poppy's eyes became drowsy to the point of no return. She fell asleep, and, because she had been seated upright, her head automatically leaned over and rested on Bilbo's shoulder. He let out a small squeak of surprise, but decided to let her sleep there for a while. The lad even had the courage to stroke her hair back away from her face, and watched her eyelids flutter as she dreamed. When his hand touched her forehead, he recoiled at how warm it was. Poppy started shivering all over again, sometimes moaning in her sleep as if in pain.

"A fever," Bilbo whispered, concerned. He knew it wouldn't be wise to send her home so late at night, although the Grubbs were most likely worried. The lad also knew he couldn't just leave her on the couch, in the cold. He mustered up all the Took courage he had and carefully scooped Poppy up in his arms, glad she didn't weigh all that much, and carried her gently to one of the many guest rooms Bag End had to offer. There Bilbo placed his guest on top of the bed and wrapped the blankets tightly around her.

"There!" He whispered again while tiptoeing out the door. He paused at the exit, however, and turned to look at the lass from out the corner of his eye. "But I won't be able to sleep knowing she's sick. I'd better rest on the armchair here, just in case."

Bilbo grabbed a spare blanket and pillow from the closet and set up camp, curled up in the armchair in the corner of the room. He didn't even mind how awkwardly shaped the seat was.

After a few minutes he dozed off, only to be awoken by a soft whimpering sound, coming from his bed. The lad tiptoed over to his guest and felt her forehead with the back of his hand.

"The fever's much worse," he announced to himself, sighing nervously. "Maybe I should go get Mother and-"

"No!" A rasp of a voice came from the fluffy mess of blankets that Poppy was half-buried under. She was shivering so hard that her teeth chattered and her whole body, even her hair, appeared to be on vibrate mode. "No. P-please s-stay. Don't l-leave."

"Oh Poppy, I'm so, so sorry," Bilbo said gently, sitting on the bedside and stroking the girl's light brown locks away from her slightly sweaty face. He felt immensely guilty; if he'd been able to save HIMSELF from the River, she wouldn't be sick! "What can I do to help?"

There was a pause. Poppy patted the extra space to the right of her, without even looking up. Bilbo could only stare in shock, and his jaw dropped slightly.

"Wait, do you m-mean.."

"Please, B-Bilbo," the girl begged, turning onto her side so that she could look up at him with her big, blue-green eyes. "I'm not asking for anything sinful. I'm just so c-cold. Maybe your body heat c-could help."

The youngest Baggins of Bag End rubbed his chin, contemplating the idea. After a few minutes he shut his bedroom door, knowing that his parents wouldn't barge in if it was closed. He also knew that tomorrow would be Saturday, the day when Bungo and Belladonna slept in until second breakfast.

"Alrighty then," he breathed, sounding defeated. Bilbo lied down on the opposite side of the bed, his head resting on the spare pillow he'd brought. The lad was careful to stay on top of the sheets, and wrapped the extra blanket from the armchair over top of him. He then turned onto his other side so that he was facing Poppy. Slowly but surely, her shivering went down, and she even smiled a little.

"Thank you, Bilbo," she whispered, yawning.

"Whatever for?"

"For being so wonderful."

"I'm really nothing special..."

"No matter how many times you say that, I will not believe it. You are an amazing person, Bilbo Baggins."

He watched her face until he was sure she had fallen asleep. After that the tween rolled back over and began to doze off himself. He chuckled softly, shaking his head as his mind conversed with itself.

"You, Bilbo Baggins, are in the same bed with a girl, and not even married! It appears that your Tookish side has lent you a bit of courage, for now," he thought, sneaking one last glance at Poppy. "What have you gotten yourself into?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Queer Morning, Indeed!**

Poppy could've slept all day, had the option been available. The bed was comfy beyond belief, the sheets soft and cozy. She snuggled her face deeper into the pillow, which could've been made of clouds for all she knew. The girl smiled in her half-asleep state, wishing she didn't have to move. Sunlight streamed in through the open window, letting in the sound of birds singing a happy, carefree melody.

Poppy reached her arms to the side and stretched; she soon touched something that wasn't a blanket. She waved her hand around, her breath catching in her throat when she felt what seemed to be curly hair.

"Oh...my...goodness."

The girl sat up so fast that the bed creaked a little, shifting under her weight. She stared, dumbfounded, at Bilbo's sleeping face, trying to make sense of everything. Poppy shook her head, almost on the verge of tears. She held her face in her hands and let a soft cry of frustration escape her mouth.

This caught Bilbo's attention. He opened one eye, then another, sighing lightly through closed lips as he got into a sitting position. He looked to his right and saw Poppy, who gazed up at him in confusion and gave a little finger wave.

"So, ummm... Do you feel better this morning?" He asked, nervously fiddling with the blanket in front of him.

"Excuse me?" Poppy gasped, throwing her hands in the air. "You wake up in the same bed as a girl you barely know, and that's the first thing you ask her!?"

"It appears so, yes," Bilbo replied slowly, his tone filled with concern. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Well, I recall rescuing you from the River, having dinner with your family, reading, and falling asleep," the girl whispered. "How did I get in this bed, by the way?"

"Easy. I carried you."

"Oh... okay..."

"You still haven't answered my question. Do you feel better this morning?" Bilbo asked, touching her forehead with the back of his hand and smiling. "Your fever's finally broke!"

"I had a fever last night?" Poppy wondered.

"I suppose it would make sense that you might have a hard time remembering that; you were asleep when I discovered it. After that I put you in my bed, planning on spending the night in the parlor. But for some reason, I couldn't just... leave you there. So I camped out on that armchair over there," he said, pointing across the room. "A few hours later I got up to check on you; the fever had worsened, and you were shivering beyond control. I decided to go get my mother, but you told me to stay and... lay down here, to warm up the bed, I believe."

"Ah. That explains a lot." the lass answered, sighing with relief. "Nothing... HAPPENED, though, right?"

"Absolutely not! I'm a gentlehobbit, as you may have noticed; my parents raised me to be traditional, and I don't plan on changing anytime soon! Besides, I slept on top of the sheets, and stayed on my side of the bed. No funny business whatsoever!"

Poppy chuckled at his giddy behavior. "Good! Just as long as I don't have to worry."

Bilbo excused himself and parted from the room, taking his spare blanket and pillow to the parlor and making it look like he'd been there all night. The young hobbit waited patently while Poppy made the bed and tiptoed down the hall.

"I'm so glad you're finally well," Bilbo said, breaking the upcoming silence as he watched his guest take a seat in one of the armchairs. "You gave me quite a fright."

"As did you, when I pulled you out of the River yesterday!" Poppy replied. A book with a brown leather cover caught her attention, and she picked it up carefully, fumbling with the pages. "This was the novel I started reading before I fell asleep."

The hobbit lad padded across the hardwood floors and read the title over her shoulder. "Ah, yes, The Chariot of th Wild; one of my favorites!"

Poppy turned her head around to smile at his beaming face. "I really did enjoy it."

"Perhaps you should take it home with you then, and finish it."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive! I've read it countless times," Bilbo chimed, tucking his hands in his robe pockets.

Suddenly there came a light tapping in the door. The lad looked at his guest curiously, who shrugged and stepped back from the window, hiding behind one of the many end tables in the parlor. The tapping continued. Bilbo sighed and opened the door, his eyes widening in surprise at who he saw.

"Hello Conrad!" He said, shaking the boy's hand. "What can I do for you?"

"I came here to apologize, sir," Poppy's brother answered, gazing down at the letter written sloppily by his own hand. He cleared his throat before reading out loud.

"Mr. Bilbo Baggins,

I give my most sincere apology to you for my rude behavior yesterday; I was childish, and although I cannot take back my decision of pushing you into the River, I must solemnly ask for your forgiveness. I also hope that we can start over, as both neighbors and possible friends, and put this whole incident behind us.

Yours truly,

Conrad Boffin."

Bilbo nodded encouragingly. "Of course I forgive you! You only meant to give me a scare, after all."

Poppy leaped up from her hiding place and tackled Conrad into a hug, her eyes shining with pride.

"That was so grown-up!" She exclaimed, grinning. "Did you write that all by yourself?"

"Not entirely, no; Mr. Grubb helped a little."

Conrad's face flushed once he realized that his sister was still in Bag End. He looked from Bilbo to Poppy, appearing frazzled and relieved at the same time.

"Wait a second! Did you stay here all NIGHT?" He gaped.

"She fell asleep on the couch after dinner, and later acquired a massive fever, so I thought it wise to simply walk her home in the morning, and let her rest," Bilbo answered, suddenly aware that he was still in his robe, undershirt, and comfy sleeping trousers. _I really should have changed into a nicer attire_, he said to himself.

"Good answer!" Conrad grinned a toothy grin. "Did Poppy ever explain how she saved you yesterday?"

"To some extent, yes."

"Ah, but she left out a few key details, I imagine!"

Bilbo raised an eyebrow at the hobbit lass , who rushed across the lawn again to cover her brother's mouth with one hand.

"Ignore him," she pleaded, struggling to keep him from wriggling away. "He thought he saw one thing, but it was something else ENTIRELY."

"I know what I saw!" The young boy claimed, ducking under her arm and jumping up and down in front of Bilbo so fast and excitedly that his hair seemed to be moving with just as much buoyancy. "You couldn't breathe, and she kissed you!"

Poppy could feel her face warming. "No, not at all!"

"Did, too! I was THERE."

"It only LOOKED like kissing, honest!" She exclaimed in defense. "It was more like.. giving him air."

"What's the difference!?"

During the conversation between the two siblings, Bilbo had taken a step back inside Bag End, his cheeks becoming warm. Conrad's goal seemed to be, "let's see who can embarrass him the fastest!". Before he could say his goodbyes and shut the door behind him, Belladonna's head poked out from out of nowhere. Most parents would use such an opportunity to scold the children for ruining their Saturday sleep-in. Instead the woman had a cheeky smile, which supported her mischievous eyes.

"Good morning, Poppy," she chirped, placing one hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "Back already to see my son, eh?"

"No, ma'am, I was just leaving," the girl answered, trying to look like she was in a better mood. "Thank you for a wonderful evening last night!"

"Oh, you're quite welcome my dear- Wait, did you sleepover?"

"Yes, and I must apologize for not consulting you on the matter. I meant to go home before sunset, but I fell asleep reading in the parlor."

"I suspect my son treated you kindly?" Belladonna asked, looking down at Bilbo.

"Yes, ma'am, he was a prefect gentlehobbit; he even let me sleep in one of the guest rooms!"

Bilbo and Poppy shared a knowing look, one that caused another round of serious blushing between the two of them. Not that Conrad or Belladonna noticed, of course!

"Would you two like to stay for second breakfast?" The woman asked.

"Thank you, but my brother and I really must be going," Poppy replied. " the Grubbs are probably worried sick!"

"No, not really," Conrad said, shifting his feet and staring at the ground. "I, uh, told them that you had a sleepover at Malva's. They were cool with it, but news came about that you went swimming in the River, and Mrs. Grubb became ecstatic that you would catch pneumonia or something."

Bilbo made a nervous throaty sound as he mentally went over Poppy's symptoms from the night before: shivering, coughing, fever, fatigue, and had she mentioned chest pain? Probably. He looked up at the hobbit lass, who was eyeing him curiously. _She seems perfectly fine this morning!_ He thought, gulping. _Maybe the sickness somehow wore off._

Conrad and his sister said goodbye and walked down Bagshot Row silently. Once they were out hearing range, Belladonna stepped back through the round, green door of her home, closing it behind her once Bilbo was inside, as well.

"What a nice girl!" She said, smiling. "Don't you ever let her go, son! It's not everyday that you meet a lass so nice, and at such a young age!"

Bilbo didn't reply, just walked into the kitchen and helped his mother prepare breakfast.

* * *

Poppy walked home hurriedly and practically threw herself into the hobbit-hole she now called home. Mr and Mrs Grubb made her explain why she went swimming in the dangerous River, and she was forced to talk about Bilbo's near-death experience,and how she saved his life. The girl left out a few curious details, though; she mostly emphasized that she had pulled him out of the Water, and after a while he woke up. Although Poppy knew that mouth-to-mouth was completely different from kissing, she felt nervous about the adults' opinions on such a matter.

"Alright, Nora, no more interrogating!" Mr. Grubb exclaimed at last. "Our Poppy's a hero, after all! Doesn't she finally deserve to see that surprise you got her, while in town yesterday?"

"Oh, that's right! I'd almost completely forgotten!" His wife replied, clasping her hands in front of her. "Come now, dear! I put them in your dresser!"

Poppy cheerfully followed her mother-figure down the hall, and into her room. She quickly opened the many drawers of her dresser, gasping at the different articles of clothing that were folded oh-so-neatly. The 22-year-old pulled out each dress, which were all the same in design, just different colors.

"They're lovely!" She said, beaming up at Mrs. Grubb. "They must've been expensive though..."

"Nonsense! I refuse to hear such talk!" The older woman replied. "You're like my daughter now, Poppy; if I want to buy you nice things, then by darn, I shall! Besides, you've been wearing the same dress for days!"

Mrs. Grubb left the room to give her some privacy, and to check in on Conrad and show him HIS new clothes. Poppy laid the dresses and aprons out on her bed, admiring them. Some had blouses with short sleeves, others long, but all were ruffled with drawstrings, and were made with an off-white coloring. The neckline was low enough to show a little cleavage, much to Poppy's dismay. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that ALL hobbit girls her age dressed like that, even Malva! _My other outfit must've made me look like an old woman!_ She thought, grimacing slightly.

The under skirts went just to the knee, and the over skirts were about three inches shorter. They were more like cotton petticoats with a bit of "bouginess" to them, Poppy noted. Their colors varied from solid pastels, to even a bit of checked gingham. The aprons, which she preferred not to wear, were tie-able in the back, and ruffled at the bottom. Each bodice matched the color of the skirts, but a few shades darker, sometimes with modest stripes going horizontally, and buttoned down the front. There were even green and modest, earthy-toned shawls and jackets folded in one of the drawers, perfect for winter!

Poppy cleaned up, combed out her hair, and quickly put on her favorite of the dresses, one with a white blouse, baby-blue bodice, and slightly darker-blue skirts. By the time she stepped out, Conrad, too, was clad in new clothes. He grimaced under Mrs. Grubb's hands as she adjusted his shirt and combed out his curly, dark brown hair. The boy looked up at his sister and mouthed "help me!". But Poppy merely shook her head and chuckled at the sight.

"I will never understand why young boy's are so carefree about their outfits. Doesn't he look handsome?" Mrs. Grubb said to her daughter-figure, wrapping one arm around Conrad's shoulder and practically glowing with pride. The lad wore gray, three-quarter length pants, a black belt, a white-collared shirt (tucked in), and a grey vest that buttoned down the front.

"Stop your grumbling, brother!" Poppy said. "Your clothes are much simpler than mine! And YOU don't have to wear skirts!"

"Thank goodness!" He muttered. "I'm gonna go find Hending and Marcho. Wanna come, sis'?"

"Oh, good idea! Go show off your new style!" Mrs. Grubb chimed, practically shoving them out the door.

* * *

Poppy and Conrad strutted across the Bridge and into Hobbiton, where many hobbit men and women were tending to the fields. They weren't exactly sure where their friends lived, only that they spent time in a farming town. The siblings decided to wander about and ask if anyone knew of Hending, Marcho, and Malva. The first man they spoke to was quick to blurt that he knew the youngsters quite well, much to his disliking.

"Those boys are always stealing carrots out of my garden!" He grumbled. "You'll be able to find them if you follow the Bywater Road for a bit; they live in houses right next to each other, if I remember correctly."

And so they continued their journey. After about fifteen minutes of walking, they saw four, modestly-built wooden homes, each arranged in a straight line along the edge of the road, with wide, front lawns. Hending and Marcho, who were playing some sort of game, raced up to Conrad and practically tackled him to the ground. Before Poppy could protest, thy grabbed her brother by the arm and half-dragged him in the opposite direction.

"Oh great, just wonderful! How am I supposed to track him down by the end of the day?" She huffed, her hands on her hips as she watched them with narrowed eyes.

"They enjoy spending their Saturdays at Bywater Pool, about a half an hour away," a voice boomed out of nowhere. "And they always return here before sunset!"

Poppy whirled around so that she was facing the houses again. A tall figure with black hair and green eyes stepped out from the shadows. He leaned against one of the buildings, folded his arms, and watched the girl like she was a specimen worth studying.

"Hello there, Will!" She called back, suddenly feeling cautious. "I didn't see you there."

"So I noticed!" The lad said, smiling a toothy smile as though laughing at some hilarious joke. "You look very pretty today."

Poppy did her best to meet his eyes bravely, instead of looking bashfully down at the ground. "I should hope so! The last time you saw me, I was soaked to the bone with river water!"

"You clean up nicely," he said, unfolding his arms and taking a step out of the shadows and into the sunlight. "I was just getting ready to come look for you myself."

"Oh really? Whatever for?"

"My parents are hosting a very grand banquet tomorrow. Everyone within a five-mile radius of Hobbiton is invited! There will be great food, music, dancing, all the works!" He replied, looking pleased with himself.

"And...?"

"And I wanted to give you a personal invitation! My parents had sent a written one to the Grubbs about a month ago, but you only just arrived to stay with them, so I thought you'd like to hear about it from me!"

Poppy fought back the urge to roll her eyes. _He thinks he's much cooler than he actually is!_ She thought to herself, putting on an amused face. Suddenly the idea of a party hit her, and she became so excited in such a small amount of time, that she couldn't resist the next question she felt the need to ask.

"So, will Bilbo and his parents be there?" She blurted, hopeful.

Will raised an eyebrow at her, looking confused. "I said everyone within a five-mile radius, didn't I? That includes everyone on Bagshot Row!"

"Oh... Duh."

Poppy felt silly at that point, and a bit embarrassed. "So, have you seen Malva anywhere?"

"Ah, yes, she and her mother went all the way to Michel Delving today. You'll be seeing her at the party tomorrow, though!"

The lass nodded, thanked him for the invite, and walked back up Bywater road. She really needed to talk to her new friend about what had happened at Bag End, even if nothing technically HAPPENED, if you know what I mean. Either way, her mind was frazzled; not just by her sudden friendship with Bilbo, but also by the uncomfortable feeling that washed over her when Will watched her. It wasn't the warm, almost giddy feeling she got when the young Baggins-lad looked her way, which sent butterflies in her stomach; no, instead it was awkward, like she was being judged, although she hoped that wasn't the black-haired boy's intentions.

"Tomorrow should be fun, though!" She whispered out loud, and believed it. "At least I have nice dresses to wear!"

* * *

**Now that the chapter is officially over, I would like to quickly point out that this is not a Mary Sue story, or whatever people call it. Second, I have a quick question to ask: do the humans in the LOTR speak a different language than the Hobbits? If you happen to have an answer, and are willing to send me a PM or review in response, that would be very helpful! Such information may be important in future chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading! :D -Swimchick**


	8. Chapter 7

**Before I start the chapter, I just want to thank everyone who sent me a review the other day. You. Guys. Are. The Best! Seriously! It made my day times ten. Also, you'll find that this chapter is a bit long, but don't worry, there's a lot going on! You'll get to see Poppy's spazzy side, Conrad's grumpiness (he's not a morning person), and even read about some drama and confrontation.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, The LOTR, or any movies about them. I'm just a huge fan!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Party**

Poppy spent the rest of the day with Conrad and his friends at Bywater Pool, where everyone but her basically chased each other around, threw tree branches, and wrestled, the usual boy stuff. One time Marcho even tried to push Hending into the mini-lake body of water, but Poppy freaked out and was forced to remind them about the "River Incident", as it was commonly referred to at the time. Conrad and his sister later walked the kids home before returning to their comfy hobbit-hole with the round, blue door. Mr. Grubb, who had been snoring on one of the armchairs, awoke upon hearing the siblings come inside.

"You two are back early!" He pointed out, still drowsy. "The sun's barely begun to set!"

"We wanted to avoid walking in the dark," Poppy explained, yawning. "Con and I aren't familiar with that area."

"Hugo! Tell the kids that dinner's on the table!" Mrs. Grubb called from the kitchen. Her husband rolled his eyes in response before yelling back.

"They already heard you, Nora!"

After a nice dinner consisting of pork pies, salad, and biscuits, Poppy took one last sip of her water and excused herself from the table.

"Where are you going, dear?" Mr. Grubb asked. "You barely touched your food."

Mrs. Grubb got up from her seat to feel the girl's forehead. "Are you feeling sick, honey?" She pressed, worry in her eyes.

"No, I'm fine, really." Poppy replied with a small smile. "I just need to read for a bit."

"Dif you afk them about the parfty?" Conrad mumbled around a mouthful of biscuit.

"Actually, I'd almost completely forgotten!" The 22-year-old said before turning towards her parent figures. "The Sandyman family is hosting a huge banquet tomorrow. May we go?"

"Ah, yes, I recall receiving an invitation to that event," Mr. Grubb noted, scratching his beardless chin as he thought out loud. "Why didn't we want to go, Nora?"

"Because, Hugo, we're old, and much too frustrated with that family. Although the Bagginses are wealthier by far, those Sandymans-"

"SandyMEN."

"-have too much money for their own good, I reckon!" Mrs. Grubb finally finished. "But the kids would have fun, though."

"You mean, we'd be attending by ourselves?" Poppy asked, sounding cautious.

"Sweet, we're like grown-ups now!" Conrad cheered. "Whoop whoop!"

"I'd better head off to bed, then," his sister said with another yawn. "Dinner was good, but I don't think I'd be able to make it through supper without falling asleep into my food. It's been a long day."

* * *

It took the girl a long while to fall asleep. Her heart was beating madly in her chest, and the more she thought about the party, the more excited she became.

_I wonder if Bilbo will ask me to dance_, she thought, grinning nervously at the idea. Suddenly her smile turned into a frown of horror as her brain came up with an alternate scenario. _Oh dear, what if he has a DATE? Like, a lass with pretty hair and everything? Darn it, he probably does! I bet they kiss... and hold hands... and talk..._

Poppy smacked her head into the pillow as a sense of wisdom finally hit her. _There's no way he already has a relationship like that! What did Malva say? Oh yeah, "he's very lost when it comes to girls"._

She thought over the day's events in her head, thinking back to how kind the hobbit lad had been, and that sparkle in his eye when he laughed at her jokes... Of course, that also made her remember Will, how different the two boys were in personality, and how intimidating he became around her.

_What if HE asks me to dance?_ Poppy wondered, a slight pit of fear growing in her stomach when she predicted his reaction, if she turned him down.

Eventually sleep took over the girl's mind. She awoke much earlier than usual, and when she sat up to stretch her arms, Poppy noticed a beautiful dress lying at the foot of her bed. She got up and approached it curiously, running her hands across its fine, soft material. There was a note on top, addressed to her, by Mrs. Grubb. It read:

"Dear Poppy,

Before you freak out about how expensive this dress appears, I must tell you that it used to be mine, when I was young; I've kept it in my closet for many years now, and it's in amazing condition! I wanted to give it to my daughter, if I ever had one; but you're like a daughter to me, and I would love to see you wear it tonight!

Please consider,

Nora"

The 22 year old held the dress up to her body, admiring its beauty. Everything, including the sleeves, blouse, and skirts, were of the finest type of cotton she had ever seen. It went down to her ankles, and the neckline was a bit lower than her usual choice of style, but not to the point of inappropriate appearance. The dress, in general, was a soft lavender color, with lacy trim at the end of the sleeves, and creating a band around the waist. When Poppy slipped it on, the material hugged and flattered her already-slim figure. She observed herself in the small mirror above her dresser. The girl knew she was thinner than most hobbits her age (not necessarily skinny, but petite). Another thing that stood out was her face; instead of being round or heart-shaped, it was more slender. Also, although her ears were pointed, they lacked the circular shape of many hobbits', and were longer, with an elvish resemblance.

_Now that I think about it, Conrad looks quite similar_, Poppy realized. _Why hadn't I noticed that before?_

She carefully took the dress off and placed it neatly back on her bed. By the time she'd gotten dressed and brushed out her hair, the sky was barely reaching sunrise, its clouds an array of orange and pink. Poppy tiptoed across the hall and gave Conrad's bedroom door a light tap with her small hobbit knuckles. No response. She tried again, louder this time. Once more, there came no reply.

"Conrad!" The girl whispered sharply, glad that Mr and Mrs Grubb slept in a room on the opposite side of the hobbit-hole. "Con!"

Silence.

"ConConConConConConConCon!" She said, tapping on the door to a fast-paced beat. "RadRadRadRadRadRadRadRad!"

A lightbulb went off, and once again, Poppy wanted to smack herself for being so stupid. The door opened at the slightest touch of the doorknob, squeaking as it revealed her brother's bedroom. She skipped across the way and stuck her face right next to Conrad's, forcing back a giggle. The girl then took in a deep breath, her eyes sparkling with a hidden laughter.

"Good morning Mary Sunshine, and how are you today!?" She sang, dancing and twirling around his bed. "You used to wake up at eight o'clock, but now you sleep all day!"

Conrad threw a pillow at her with a groan, which his sister dodged at ninja speed, caught in mid-air, and tossed right back.

"Oooh, so close!" Poppy chimed, grinning. "But you can't touch this!"

"GO...AH...WAY..," the boy mumbled into the blankets. "NO ONE LIKES YOU!"

"Oh contraire! I, for one, happen to think I'm pretty great!"

"How are you so happy!? It's like... nighttime!"

"Erm, no. Actually, it's the beginning of sunrise." Poppy replied happily. She once again kneeled down at the side of his bed, and gave a barely-audible whisper into his ear. "You best be waking up now, fool."

"UGH!" Conrad practically yelled, swatting at her blindly. "Someone overdosed on her spazzoid pills this morning!"

Poppy sighed and began to skip out of the room. "You're such a buzzkill, Con. I like you much better at night."

"DITTO!"

* * *

A good hour passed before the boy actually got up and began the day. His sister used this opportunity to curl up under one of the larger windows, soaking up the May sunshine as she devoured the book Bilbo he given her. It was an enchanting fantasy story about an underground village, whose people lived in fear of the outside world. This changed when the town's brethren from the aboveland became attacked by a viscous band of evil balrogs (although there aren't many GOOD creatures of that kind; most are bad-natured, in general). To save their friends, the underground people built a chariot and sent their strongest warriors into battle. The journey to their destination took three and a half months, give or take a few days; those riding the chariot became known as the People of the Wild, for they befriended numerous inhabitants of Middle Earth, such as Ents, Eagles, and Giants, to help them with their quest.

Poppy read almost five chapters by the time she heard Conrad shuffling down the hall. She looked up, wagging her eyebrows at his distasteful mood.

"Wipe that smug look off your face," the boy huffed, dragging his feet and practically hissing at the sunlight pouring into the room. "Are you making breakfast today?"

"I guess so. Mr and Mrs Grubb probably won't wake up until just before second breakfast, I think."

"Oh... Okay." Conrad tilted back the leather novel in his sister's hands, then walked off and shook his head in dissapointment.

"What?" Poppy asked, bookmarking her page and following him closely.

"You're READING," he replied. "I thought you were writing in a diary or something."

"You would love that, wouldn't you?"

"Uhh, yeah! Only a lot!"

They then shuffled absentmindedly into the kitchen. The boy made himself a glass of water and leaned against one of the counters, his eyebrows raised while watching his sister open cabinets in search of the components for their meal. To her relief there were fresh eggs lying conveniently on the table, and the rest appeared as her search deepened. She hummed a rather catchy tune during this process, and her head bobbed to the beat.

"Are you singing?" Conrad blurted in a rather grumpy tone.

"Well since you're being a jerk this morning, I thought I'd entertain myself with a song." Poppy replied, adding the words to the 'music' she'd created. "Eggs and sausage, eggs and sausage! Maybe fruit and maybe ham! My brother's boring so it's time to... jam?"

The dark haired boy let out a snort, practically doing a spit-take with the water he'd been drinking. "That wasn't even poetic!"

"It doesn't have to be! I wrote it for my own amusement!"

"Are you SURE we're related? I think you read the letter wrong. Or maybe the Grubbs are lying. Because you're too weird to be my sister."

"Pssht, no way, Con! I'm NORMAL, in my own abnormal way," Poppy said, giggling. "Besides, we have to trust that Mr and Mrs Grubb are... trustable. I don't think they would lie to us."

"I don't know. That Hugo is a suspicious character," Conrad joked, trying to keep a straight face. "I bet his snoring is morse code for 'Help me, I'm trapped in a hobbit-hole with my neurotic wife and two insane children! They're holding me against my will and I don't have much time left!'"

Poppy giggled as she cracked a few eggs into a bowl, careful to keep spare pieces of shell from slithering into their soon-to-be-breakfast. She cooked hastily, occasionally looking over her shoulder at a drooling Condad. _He must be starving_, she thought, _if even MY food smells edible._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They spent the rest of their early day at home: Poppy read and daydreamed about the party, while Conrad began map-reading lessons with Mr. Grubb. It was obvious that he wasn't enjoying himself; he often twitched his left foot against the end table to an annoying beat, tapped his writing quill to the tip of his nose, and sighed frustratedly. He did this so often that it almost became a song. _Not quite as skilled as MINE was_, the 22-year-old decided, recalling back to her eggs and sausage melody. _But I suppose his raw talent his flexible_.

The Sandyman feast was to begin around luncheon. Once Poppy had her dress on, she let Mrs. Grubb twist her light brown hair into a ladylike bun, letting the shorter strands loose so that they framed her face quite nicely. The older woman even tied a white bow into it, as a finish.

"There!" She said, clasping her hands. "You're gorgeous!"

"I highly doubt that," Poppy replied, and she meant it. Although the girl didn't see herself as ugly, she certainly never saw the "pretty" that others sometimes pointed out. She thought her nose was too small, her eyebrows too thin. Not to mention her strange ears.

"Come see for yourself!" Mrs. Grubb recommended, waving a hand in front of the mirror.

The hobbit lass wasn't sure that she was looking at herself correctly. She turned around, wondering how the girl in the mirror could possibly be the same person. Her hair wasn't frizzy anymore, but wavy and shiny. Her cheeks were rosy, and although the girl appeared dainty and lady-like, there was something about her face that made her seem bold and courageous, if possible.

"Awesome," Poppy breathed, nodding in approval to her mother figure. "What's Conrad wearing?"

"Oh, you know your brother; all he did was comb his hair and put on a different shirt."

The girl rolled her eyes and stepped out into the hall. "That definitely sounds like him. Not much of a lady's-hobbit yet, I suppose."

Conrad practically sprinted out the door in an attempt to avoid Mrs. Grubb's hands, which were fiddling with the boy's hair and shirt collar. They didn't slow down until they reached the end of Bagshot Row and were on Bywater Road. At that point Poppy began to skip, her eyes shining as she gazed at the road ahead. Her brother, however, was in a completely different mood.

"This shirt is strangling me!" He mumbled with a frown. "Why can't I go without one?"

"Are you insane!? This is a fancy occasion!" Poppy snapped, but quickly became cheerful again.

"Why are you so excited for a party?" Conrad asked, eying her curiously.

"Why shouldn't I be? They're so much fun! Lots of singing, dancing, festivities-"

"And food!" The boy added, licking his lips. "Food, glorious food..."

Poppy tilted her head back and laughed. "Yes, and food!"

"I think there's another reason. Are you looking forward to... seeing somebody?"

There was a pause. The girl's heart began to pound, her face flushing slightly. "Of course! I'm excited to see EVERYONE."

"Really? Not a specific person?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Forget it."

They walked in silence after that. Soon a wide field came into view, looming above all other things. It contained large tents, which were scattered across the area. Tables filled with colorful food, from greens to meat and bread, drew the attention of many adult hobbits. Most of the older men surrounded the barrels of ale like bugs attracted to light, while the women either danced or gossiped merrily. Conrad took off the second he saw his friends, laughing just as a little boy would, and forgetting what his sister had said about the "fanciness" of the occasion.

Poppy didn't know too many people in the Shire, so all she could do was wander aimlessly in search of Malva or Bilbo. Lively, happy, hobbit-music rang in the background, and the girl found herself humming along contently. After a bit of awkward searching, she spotted her friend's insanely red hair. The 22-year-old tiptoed up behind her and gave her a tap in between the shoulder blades; Malva spun around and yelped so loudly that the adults casted annoyed looks in their direction.

"Poppy Boffin! I should've known!" The ginger exclaimed, but grinning to show she wasn't actually angry. "Look at you, all stunning in that dress! Aw, my little girl's growing up!"

"I'm older than you!"

"Only by a year, though," Mava said, looping her arm through Poppy's. "I haven't seen you in a while. Come, come! Walk with Aunty Malva. I'm sure you are eager to talk, yes?"

They strayed away from the loud festivities, over towards the area of trees and flowers.

It was mucho easier to talk there.

"So, what is it you need tell me?" The redhead asked.

Poppy took a deep breath before explaining to her friend about the night she saved Bilbo from the River, waking up the next morning, and her queer encounter with Will. She was careful to whisper how uncomfortable she felt around the black-haired boy, even scared, at times.

"Alright, let me get this straight," Malva began once the girl had finished her speech. "You and Bilbo shared a BED?"

"Yes, but nothing happened, honest!"

"Don't worry, I believe you. As for Will, he just takes time to get used to. He's kind of dark in that way, and likes to suppress his feelings."

The ginger once again had a lost, almost sad look in her eye. She turned away from her friend and stared off in the distance, towards the party.

"Malva, is there something going on between you two?" Poppy asked, tilting her said to the side.

"What? Me? And HIM? No." Malva's sharp gaze snapped back to the 22-year-old, whose eyebrows were raised as if to say, 'Oh really?'. "Okay, I'll tell you; but only because we're good friends and I trust you won't repeat this to anyone"

Poppy nodded encouragingly, feeling bad about pressuring her to share her feelings, but not sure of what else to do.

"When I was eighteen, and Will was twenty-one, I had a huge crush on him. Sometimes I would wake up early and watch him walk down the road. I was a bit obsessed, to the point where I didn't even notice how mean of a personality he had acquired. He was all I could think about. One day Will asked me if I wanted to go steady with him. Now that I think about it, he probably did so, just to get me off his back. But I agreed without hesitation."

Malva paused and sighed, shifting her hobbit feet and twirling a lock of her red hair. "We 'courted' for about a week, and then he stopped talking to me. The guy didn't even look in my direction when we passed! Once I finally confronted him about it, he yelled, even threw a small rock at me. We ignored each other for about a year... And then we found a random time to talk; not so much about our feelings or anything, just normal chitchat. We've been awkward acquaintances ever since."

Poppy gave her friend what she hoped to be a heartfelt smile. But all in all, the story caught her by surprise. Malva was always such a strong, level-headed girl; she couldn't see her as the type of lass who spent her free time spying on boys.

"Enough with this depressing conversation!" The redhead exclaimed at last, marching back towards the feast. "We have a dinner to attend to!"

"Wait!" Poppy called as she followed suit. "If it helps, I have no interest in Will. He scares me."

Malva laughed, wrapping one arm around her friend. "That's okay. I don't like him that much, either."

* * *

The girls devoted some time towards dancing around the field and eating snacks. Poppy also used this opportunity to keep an eye out for Bilbo, but much to her disappointment, he never showed. Once dinner rolled about, Conrad sat down next to his sister on her left, with Malva on her right. She was especially thankful to have their backs once Will took a chair right in front of her. Poppy talked mostly to her brother and friend, avoiding the black haired lad's sharp eyes.

And then came the moment she dreaded the most: slow dancing.

Malva and Hending had to go home early, muttering something about their father being ill. Conrad stayed at one of the tables, laughing with Marcho at the couples that were soon taking over the dance floor. Some appeared completely comfortable during the fun music, swinging their arms, laughing, and making total fools of themselves. Just as Poppy was getting ready to grab her sibling and return home, Will snuck up behind her and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who!" He said, grinning. The hobbit lass gulped, but shrugged nonchalantly.

"Umm...Mr. Grubb ?"

The boy chuckled, taking one of her hands in his and using it to twirl her. "You look amazing tonight."

"Oh, um, that's...cool."

Will rolled his eyes and shifted so that his shoulder was rubbing next to hers. Poppy tried to step back, but he continued to walk closer, and she began to panic a little.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, waving a hand towards the couples that were slowly moving across the field. She picked at her nails as a distraction, while trying to come up with a decent answer.

"I would, but I have to, um, get Conrad home. I promised the Grubbs that we'd return at a decent time.."

"Oh, come on now. Just a few dances," Will pressed with a wink. He had the nerve to get even closer, placing one hand behind her shoulder and reaching the other up to touch her face. "You know you want to."

"Actually, I don't!" Poppy blurted, and jumped backwards so fast that she almost tripped. Some hobbits nearby were beginning to notice the confrontation, and stopped to watch.

Will frowned, letting his green eyes waver up and down her dress as though contemplating if she was worth the struggle. _I'm so scared I think I'm going to throw up!_ Poppy thought to herself.

"Look, the invitation was very nice. My brother and I had fun, but I really need to-"

"Not so fast," the boy snapped, cutting her off and grabbing her wrist in a death lock. Poppy tried to pull herself away, but that only made it hurt more. "You can't just LEAVE. Do you know how much my parents spent on this party? Do you?"

"N-not really."

"I thought not. So come on, cooperate here. Just a little bit of dancing and-"

"NO!" Poppy screamed. What happened next came in a blurr. She leaped backwards again, this time kicking him in the, er, painful spot, before racing off in the opposite direction. Thankfully Conrad had been sitting nearby, and was just about to go and save her before she fled. Poppy ran so fast that her brother struggled to keep up, but they didn't stop until the music was far behind them.

The wind whipped in her face, ruining her once-beautiful hair. She cried without knowing it, and the tears ruined her vision to the point where she even ran into a few trees. But Poppy didn't slow down; not for a long time. Soon the grass beneath her feet turned into dirt, and she was forced to duck from the branches in her way.

"Poppy," Conrad gasped, his adrenaline wearing off. "We need to stop."

The girl slowed to a walk and slumped down next to a tree. She buried her face in her hands, letting a sob of both fear and relief escape into the silence. Her brother sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling stray leaves from her hair. They sat like that for a while before a howl in the distance broke the moment. The siblings became aware of the fact that they had somehow wandered into a forest, or more specifically, the Wild.

"Oh Con, what are we going to do?" Poppy said, turning to him with a tear-stained face. "We're lost!"

The boy patted his pockets like he had when they first woke up in the meadow, but to his disappointment, he could not find another map. _I have to be the big kid now,_ he realized._ I have to be brave._

"We're going to be just fine, sis," Conrad replied bravely. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

**Oh my gosh! :0 What's going to happen next!? Will someone come to their rescue, or will Poppy and Conrad have to find their own way out of the forest? Also, what in the name of Middle Earth is Will's problemo? And where the heck has Bilbo been all this time!? Stay tuned, and find out in the next chapter! **

** -Swimchick**


	9. Chapter 8

**This chapter will be much shorter than the previous ones, but just as important! It's all in Bilbo's POV, after all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, The LOTR, or any movies about them. I'm just a fan! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Search Begins!**

Bilbo had been enjoying a rather quaint evening with his parents. Belladonna lounged peacefully on one of the armchairs, knitting a blanket of sorts, while Bungo looked through the mail, and Bilbo continued reading his book. The evening held a strange silence, even for Bagshot Row; the Bagginses hadn't even set the table for dinner yet, so the sun still stood in the late-evening sky. Adults often used that time for reading or talking, while children and younger hobbits played games or went on walks. Bilbo, however, was the only one to notice the curious change in volume. Despite how his eyes were fixed to the page, his ears perked at the slightest sound, and his mind wandered.

"Mother, are we missing out on some sort of social event?" He finally asked.

"Good heavens, I should hope not!" Belladonna gasped, dropping the needles and yarn into her lap. "That would definitely be a change of things! When was the last time we Bagginses weren't invited to a gathering? Bungo? Do you recall?"

"It definitely has been a while, dear," The older hobbit replied. "Bilbo, my boy, why don't you go investigate?"

"But I might be late for dinner!"

"Food can wait. Just be sure to wash your hands when you return!"

The 24-year-old nodded, got up from his comfy chair, and shuffled down the hall. He turned around to look at his parents while putting his coat on, noting their innocent postures and distracted diminuers. Bilbo loved walking around at that time of day, and nighttime even more so. But his family had lost all sense of adventure and excitement in life, if there ever was any to start out with.

He slipped through the round, green door and padded down the stone steps, through the gate, and onto Bagshot Row. Bilbo was careful to walk up and down the path, wondering where all the residents had gone. His feet eventually carried him to the other side of the Hill, by the River where he'd almost drowned. The lad became a bit desperate for answers, and resulted to knocking on the doors of every hobbit home nearby. No one answered until he arrived at a place with a light blue door.

An older man with curly white hair and entertained brown eyes stood before him. He wore a patched, frayed robe, and his eyebrows were raised.

"Hello, Mr. Grubb!" Bilbo said, trying to sound cheerful and normal.

"Ah, if it isn't the youngest Baggins of Bag End! I haven't seen you around since you were a tyke, going on 'adventures' and running around through the flowers! What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, Sir, but my parents sent me to try and figure out where all the neighbors had disappeared to."

Mr. Grubb let out a chortle of surprise, and he shook his head as if in amusement.

"Excuse me, but I can't imagine what you find so funny!" Bilbo huffed, his hands on his hips. "Half the Shire's gone missing!"

"They haven't gone MISSING, boy- they're off at the Sandyman party, one of the biggest social events of the year! I find it funny because, normally, a Baggins would be the first to know!"

That was all the information Bilbo needed. All festivities held by Marcho and Will's parents were held in the same field, across from their home. All he had to do was get there before it ended. The boy said his goodbyes and continued on, not even bothering to enlighten his parents. A light, almost-summer breeze swept across the grass, tussling his curly brown hair, and making him thankful for his coat. The Bywater Path crunched underfoot, and as the sun began to set, Bilbo couldn't help but feel confused and saddened. Why hadn't anyone told him about the party? He knew why the Sandymen didn't invite them; the slight competition between their families made sure of that. Not to mention the grudge that Will always possessed over Bilbo, who never really understood why.

_I bet even Poppy and Conrad are attending_, he thought, sighing through closed lips. _Wonderful! My family will be the laughingstock of the Shire! The only hobbits not invited... Good grief!_

The closer he got to the party, the louder the music and voices became. Bilbo was slightly taken aback by how large the festivity truly was. Dinner had obviously been devoured already, for a series of hobbits were clearing the tables, while others danced and gossiped. He crept over to a group of trees and crouched down behind them, shielded by the underbrush and setting sun. Bilbo couldn't help but scan the area for the Boffins. The first he saw was Conrad, seated at one of the tables with Marcho directly next to him. Hending and Malva were leaving, their heads hung low as they whispered in hush voices. Bilbo ducked further into the foliage as they passed, careful not to make a sound.

Just as the lad was getting ready to sneak away and return home, a lass with blue-green eyes caught his attention. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a bun, except for a few strands that were too short. She wore a cotton lavender dress, and was standing a bit uncomfortably amongst the crowd. She looked.. Well, it couldn't be more clear that the girl was-

"Beautiful," Bilbo breathed, then shook some sense into himself and tried to look somewhere else. "You're not here to stalk! Stop being creepy!"

Suddenly a tall figure with long, black hair and green eyes walked up to Poppy. It was Will, obviously; the very sight of him made Bilbo fume a little. The young host placed his hands in front of the lass' eyes, then twirled her around in a circle. Bilbo squinted to focus on Poppy's facial expressions; she was smiling, still uncomfortable-looking, and perhaps a bit annoyed, as well. Will stood extremely close to her so that their arms touched, making her squirm away a little. They spoke for a while; Will said something, and Poppy's face lit up with alarm. She shook her hair 'no', but he got closer, and placed one hand behind her shoulder, still holding the other.

"If he's trying to slow-dance, he's not doing it right," Bilbo practically growled under his breath. A sharp feeling ached in his chest, one that he had never felt before. The halfling couldn't place it, but the burning worsened the longer he watched Poppy and Will together. "Come on, Sandyman! She's saying 'no'!"

That was it. Bilbo couldn't watch any longer. Besides, the achy feeling had become too much to handle. He turned around and headed back towards home, taking the long way around so that no one would notice him. Although he tried to focus on the joys of returning to a good book, he had a hard time shaking off the protective feeling he had towards Poppy. Will was being overly pushy with her, and it was clear that the girl would not go along with it.

"I sure hope nothing bad comes of this," Bilbo said to himself. "I don't know what I'd do..."

* * *

Belladonna and Bungo did not take news of the party well, as their son had suspected. They were even more concerned when Bilbo went to bed without dinner OR supper, mumbling something about not feeling well. The parents shrugged it off and returned to the parlor, ranting about "that rude Sandyman bunch!" and "wait till the neighbors hear!".

The next morning, the 24-year-old dressed quickly and went out for a walk, hoping the fresh air would do him good. His mind was frazzled with the leftover ache from the night before. He still didn't know what that was all about, and the next series of events didn't help, either.

There was a large crowd gathering in front of the Grubbs' hobbit-hole. Standing by the door was a frustrated Hugo, who struggled with yelling above the people and comforting his wife at the same time. Nora's thin frame was leaned up against the wall of her home, her head in her hands as she sobbed. The sound made Bilbo want to cry, too. Instead he tried to part through the crowd, saying "excuse me!", "pardon me!", or "I'm sorry!" every other step.

"Mr. Grubb!" He yelled around the other voices. "Over here!"

Hugo looked across the vast sea of hobbits, smiling a little as he saw the boy attempt to wander past the people. He marched through the crowd, grabbed Bilbo lightly by the shoulder, and steered him into his home, with Nora at his side. It was a great relief to shut the door behind them.

"Phew! What a mess!" Hugo exclaimed, wiping the sweat off his face with a pocket-handkerchief.

"Mr. Grubb, what on earth is going on here?" Bilbo asked.

"They're g-g-gone!" Nora gasped in between sobs.

"Who!?"

"Poppy and C-Conrad! They went to the party, and late last night we heard that they'd run off! No one's seen them since!"

Bilbo rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head, a pang of fright hitting him in the gut. "Oh no. Oh no no no. Gracious, if only I'd stayed...! Stupid me, stupid!"

"And that isn't even the worst part!" Mrs. Grubb continued. "We t-tried to send a search party, but no one's willing to go into the Wild!"

"You mean no one's even TRIED!?" The tween gasped in anger.

"Not a soul!"

The youngest Baggins knew what he had to do, of course. He threw his hands in the air and let out a nervous chuckle.

"That settles it, then!" Bilbo half-yelled, turning back towards the door. "I'll go looking for them myself!"

Nora cried out in shock, while her husband sighed with relief. Mr. Grubb shooked the boy's hand, a grin spreading across his face. "You're a good lad, Bilbo Baggins! A very good lad!"

Mrs. Grubb practically ransacked the hobbit-hole. She threw blankets, food, and water-filled canteens into a bag, and her hands shook slightly through the process. The crowd waiting outside stared in disbelief as they watched Bilbo march down the steps and off towards Bagshot Row, his head held high with determination. There was no doubt in his mind that he would find Poppy and Conrad. _I won't return without them_, he decided.

"We'll give your folks a heads-up!" Hugo called after him. "Thank you! And bless your heart!"


	10. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry for the late update! My neighborhood hasn't had Internet access for almost a week, and the cellular data isn't great at my house, either. Nonetheless, it gave me time to re-read this chapter about fifty times and make sure it was superfluous... or fairly close to superfluous. I finally got to post it today because I found a small corner of the living room where my phone let me go on Facebook and whatnot. :D**

**Disclaimer: The awesomeness that is The Hobbit/The LOTR does not belong to me(*sobs into pillow*). I'm just a fan!**

**So, yeah! Bring on the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hallelujah!**

And so the search began. Bilbo hiked the backpack straps up higher on his shoulders, and looked nonchalantly over at the surprised hobbits behind him. They watched him pass by before erupting into a chorus of gossip, which the lad brushed off eagerly. _I wonder what my parents will think!_ He thought, shaking his head with a sly grin. _Dad will be thankful that Mr. Grubb provided me with a map of sorts. I can picture Mum bring proud, but she will scold me for not bringing a better cloak... Oh well! Better not to cross that bridge until I get to it._

The lad had not been past the area around Bagshot Row for many years, back when he and Will used to be something close to friends. And yet he still remembered Bywater Path as well as before, minus a few homes that were built into the fields since his last visit. Bilbo felt confident that he would find Conrad and Poppy. He had a skip in his step, and he hummed a very cheerful tune during the process. By the time he arrived at Frogmorton, the home of Hending, Malva, the Sandyman family, and much more, the party from the previous night had mostly been cleared away. It was a quiet evening; a small number of children chased each other across the fields, while young adults and elder hobbits worked on the day's chores. Bilbo saw Will heading out to help his father in their Cartwright shop, and quickly padded off the road to confront him.

_The best place to start my search, is with an investigation!_ He decided, unable to hold back the proud gleam in his eyes. _I should interrogate some of the party's guests, and try to get a decent idea where Poppy and her brother ran off to._

Will tossed a knapsack full of tools into his father's cart. His black hair was messy and unbrushed, and he looked as if he'd been running in the fields all day. He also had an annoyed look on his face, which only worsted at the sight of Bilbo approaching him.

"What do you want, Baggins?" He asked with a sneer.

"Are you aware that Poppy and Conrad Boffin went missing last night?" The tween retorted.

"I saw em' run off, yeah," Will said, watching his dad tie the family donkey to the cart. "But it's none of my business where they ended up."

"What is that supposed to mean? You have no idea in which direction they went? Or you didn't bother to notice?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm surprised I didn't end up passed out in the middle of the dance floor last night, choking on my own drool," the black-haired boy folded his arms and looked around at the village, a chuckle of a sound escaping his lips. "That beer sure was good."

Bilbo rolled his eyes as he pulled the map out, wishing he'd chosen a more mature hobbit to speak with."You have no care in the world, do you? Because nothing matters in less it affects Will Sandyman!"

"Whatever. I need to get to work. I'd wish you good luck, but you seem to have everything covered," the young hobbit jumped up into the cart and snapped the reigns. The donkey started so fast that it almost ran over Bilbo's foot, but thankfully he jumped out of the way in time.

The youngest Baggins of Bag End interrogated most of the other people who lived in the area. Those who had witnessed Poppy and her brother's escape pointed out that they ran towards Tuckborbugh, but that was all they'd seen.

After a long day of walking and question-asking, Bilbo's feet were introduced to a soreness never before known to hobbit kind. Hending and Malva's parents offered to let him stay in their parlor for the night, but he wanted to camp out beneath the stars. The lad pressed on until darkness had fallen, and the world seemed to go silent. He slept on a small pile of blankets, thankful for the warm, pre-summer air.

"Tomorrow I'll have a fresh start. Despite not having an exact location, I know to aim for Tuckborbugh, which is better than nothing." Bilbo rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his head. He felt content with being that way, and not quite as intimidated as he thought he would be. "I sure hope they're okay, although anyone with the courage to save me from a river should be able to take care of herself in the Wild for a few days. All the same, Poppy and her brother are out there, most likely feeling lost, hungry, cold and confused..."

* * *

"Climb the tree, Conrad!"

"Why?!"

"Just do it!"

"You can't make me!"

"Yes I can, and I will!"

"Never!"

"One..."

"No!"

"Two..."

"I refuse!"

"Conrad Boffin, if you don't climb that stupid tree this very instant, I'll be forced to throw you up there myself!"

"I prefer staying on the GROUND, thank you very much!" The 12-year-old boy looked as if he was about to sprint off into the forest, his green eyes wild and his brown hair disheveled. Night was approaching fast, and after a whole day of searching for food, Poppy finally decided to send him up to scan their surroundings. She would have done it herself, but someone needed to keep watch, and as the eldest sibling, the job automatically became hers.

"Look, I get that you're in a time of distress. We both are. But if there's any willpower left in that little boy heart of yours, I suggest you use it to help our cause," she said. "Please, just shimmy on up there and look around. In fact, see if you can't find an apple or something! We need to eat soon."

Conrad sighed and began his way up the tree, his limbs groaning with the effort. "If I find an apple, I'm throwing it at you!"

Poppy tapped her foot impatiently as she watched him. The forest was getting darker and darker with each passing second. By the time her brother reached the top, twilight had crept up on them, like a tiger waiting to pounce.

"Okay, what do you see?" She asked, watching the boy's body disappear into the leaves.

"Tree, tree, tree, tree, tree. Oh look, another tree! And what is that? Could that be... a TREE? But wait!"

Poppy's ears perked, and she was on the verge of a happy-dance when Conrad ruined her growing spark of hope.

"I'm just messing around. That was another tree."

"For God's sake, Con, grow up and be serious! Our survival is at stake!" The girl yelled while rubbing her temples in the hopes of stopping a headache. "That's all you can see?"

"Well, yeah! The forest doesn't end!"

"Sure it does. We didn't walk THAT far into it."

The siblings gave up on dinner and went to sleep with empty bellies. Their 'beds' were made of grass, and they took turns every few estimated hours for guard duty. Poppy claimed the first shift, as she had the night before.

"This place is really weird," Conrad mumbled from where he began to doze off. "I don't like it."

"I'm sorry, kiddo," his sister replied. Suddenly a sense of déjà vu settled in; Poppy recalled exchanging those exact words with him before, but she couldn't remember when, or why. She wanted to talk about it, but her brother was already out cold, so she shrugged the thought off and continued to watch the forest.

It was the dark that unsettled her the most. The Wild seemed magical and enchanting during the day, but once nighttime settled in, and its creatures came out, the girl immediately felt on edge. Conrad loved the forest no matter what, but then again, he was a bit more courageous when it came to such things. A shiver traveled down Poppy's spine as another howl filtered into their makeshift campsite.

"It's just a dog," she whispered to herself. Still unconvinced, her mind shifted through images of the scariest inhabitants of Middle Earth she could come up with. Poppy leaned her back against the nearest tree and hugged her knees with a sigh. "This is going to be a very long night."

* * *

Bilbo awoke to the sun shining brightly in his eyes, and the smell of flowers and nature around him. It took a second for him to remember why he was camped out in a field, but the rush of adventure returned not long after. He rolled up the blankets and shoved them into his backpack before heading out again. Bilbo had decided to ration off as much of the food as possible, but limiting himself to one piece of bread for breakfast was tough. On the plus side, his small meal allowed him to eat and walk at the same time.

He separated from the path and headed off to Tuckborbugh, or in that general area. It took about an hour and a half for the ground underfoot to change from grass to dirt. There was an obvious boundary line between the forest and the meadows. It would be like stepping from one world to another, from a safe haven to the unknown. Bilbo knew that, of course; the thought only made his journey that much more exciting!

"I sure hope they didn't enter the forest from the opposite side," he said out loud. "In that case, it could take me days to find them!"

His transition into the Wild was a tough one, which he discovered quickly. His hobbit feet were used to dirt, grass, and flowers, not thorns, branches, and underbrush. And the bugs attacking him from all directions, were definitely not helping the situation. Bilbo pulled a ball of yarn from his backpack and unrolled it onto the ground every few minutes, creating a trail for him to follow later; he continued doing so until night had fallen. At that point the young hobbit ate another piece of bread and a handful of blackberries, although he felt guilty, considering his friends were probably starving, wherever they were. His spark of hope began to diminish, and the tween feared the worst. Everything changed once he heard the voices...

* * *

"Poppyyyyyyy!"

"Whaaaaaaaaat?"

"Stomach...hurts...really bad!"

"That's because you haven't eaten in a while; I feel your pain."

"Fix it! Otherwise I'll die, and it will be all your fault!"

"All my-? Irgh!"

Conrad was so hungry that it was all he could think about. He paced the small clearing with his hands behind his back, while Poppy watch with discernment.

"Shouldn't we try walking around some more?" The boy asked as he clutched his stomach in pain.

"No, that could make our situation worse. We don't want to get any more lost than we already are."

"AAAAH! It feels like my insides are gonna blow up!"

"Okay, okay, calm down and go to sleep. We'll start up again tomorrow, maybe steal some more carrots from that farmer guy." His sister said, patting the space next to her. "I'll take the whole watch-guard shift tonight, so you can rest."

Conrad nodded and flopped down on the ground. He couldn't fall asleep, though, so he just lied there with his eyes closed. Poppy fought against the urge to nod off; the forest still frightened her in the dark, after all. But the howling didn't return that time, so she felt a little more at ease. At about midnight she heard a twig snap; her ears perked at the sound. It was coming closer and closer, but still seemed far away. Poppy shook her brother by the shoulders, imagining a viscous pack of hobbit-eating monsters creeping up on them.

"Con! Con, I think I heard something!" She whispered, her eyes frantic.

"That's good, isn't it? If you haven't heard anything recently, you're either deaf or dead."

"You know what I mean!"

SNAP.

Conrad gave his sister an excited look, which she responded with a frightened one of her own.

"I heard it, too!" He exclaimed, hauling the girl to a stand and skipping circles around her.

"Come on, let's follow it!"

"What!? Are you insane!?"

"Maybe, who knows!?"

SNAP!

CRACK!

SNAP!

The siblings were on code red. Poppy wished she had a weapon, but sadly the odds were not in her favor. She grabbed Conrad by the arm to keep him from running off and tackling whatever was out there. Suddenly a dark figure stepped out from inside the shadows. It was taller than them, with curly, sandy-brown hair, brown eyes and a backpack. It was-

"Bilbo?" Poppy whispered in shock.

"Poppy? Is that you?" Her friend ran across the clearing, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank goodness!"

The hobbit lass sprinted the extra distance between them and practically tackled him in a hug. She rested her head on his chest and let a sob of relief escape her lips. With him there, she and Conrad would be okay. With him there, she could finally feel safe. Bilbo stroked her hair back and whispered words of encouragement, and Conrad gave him a manly hug once his sister had had her moment.

"This is all really cute, you guys," the 12-year-old boy said. "But if I don't get some food soon, I'm really gonna die!"

Bilbo laughed as he pulled out everything Mrs. Grubb had packed. "Don't worry, Con, I brought plenty of food."

"Hallelujah!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Well, as per usual, none of the Tolkien-ness belongs to me. There is a song featured in this chapter that I took from The Fellowship of The Ring, which does not belong to me, either. **

***Warning: Prepare yourselves for fluffy moments in this chapter. And singing. And teasing among siblings. And food... You have been warned.**

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**Chapter 10: Under The Stars**

"You two go ahead and eat, while I set up camp," Bilbo said. "Mrs. Grubb packed bread, ham, blackberries, and a few canteens of water. Thankfully we also have blankets, so you won't have to sleep on the dirt anymore."

"Oh no, Mr and Mrs Grubb!" Poppy gasped. "They must be so worried!"

"They were a bit frantic, yes. News had already spread that you and Conrad ran off after the party, so they knew you weren't kidnapped, at least. But the question still stands; why DID you come here?"

The siblings didn't respond for a while. They paused to stuff their mouths with a small portion of food and gaze around the clearing. Poppy wasn't sure how to answer; she enjoyed the silence, and the comforting presence of her friend. Even the intimidating forest seemed a little less scary with Bilbo around. Sure, she had her brother, but the hobbit tween made her feel protected.

The trees surrounding them were shadowy, with limbs gnarled and twisted in different directions. Their branches swayed without wind, and they even appeared to be leaning towards them, watching, whispering, and planning. They casted shadows onto the three hobbits, and formed a gap above their heads where the moon shone clearly through the azure of clouds. Bilbo had led them to that very spot, so that his friends could see the sky again after days of being secluded in the endless groves. Poppy leaned back against a nearby tree trunk and sighed contentedly. It felt good, being under the stars again, instead of the usual canopy of leaves.

"Not that I want to pry into your personal business, or make you uncomfortable," Bilbo added with a small smile. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

"No, you deserve an answer," Poppy paused to swallow a mouthful of bread before continuing."Will wanted to dance at that party, and I didn't want to, but he was acting... strange."

"What do you mean?"

"It seemed like every time I told him 'no', that only made him more persistent. He was actually beginning to frighten me. So I kicked him and ran, and Con followed me."

"Good thing I wasn't there at the time. I probably would've hurt that Sandyman kid."

Poppy giggled at the thought of Bilbo trying to beat up Will. Not only was the black-haired hobbit taller than him, but most likely stronger, too.

"What? You don't think I could take him?" Bilbo asked. He pretended to feel offended, although the grin spreading across his face proved just how bad of an actor he would be.

"Of course you could! And if worse came to worse, you would have Con to back you up. He can be very tough, for one so small."

"Sorry to interrupt, but Poppy can fend for herself," her brother commented from where he sat by the food pile. "And I'm not small; I'm fun-sized. There's a difference."

"Sure there is, Con," Poppy muttered, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "Sure there is."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second," Bilbo responded quickly."What you said about Poppy being able to fend for herself, I mean. I was the only one that volunteered to come find you, and-"

"So you and Poppy are even now?" Conrad interrupted. "You know, she saved your life, you saved ours? That kind of thing?"

The youngest Baggins of Bag End sighed, got to his feet, and began packing up the blankets. "Look, I didn't come find you to 'get even'. I came because I honestly care about you two, and was worried. Again, not that I doubt your survival skills, but because I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"We're really glad you did," Poppy blurted before she could stop the words. The hobbit lass gave her friend a sincere smile, followed by a loud yawn, which broke the upcoming silence. Bilbo chuckled as he headed across the clearing, in the opposite direction. "I'll go set up camp now, so you two can get some sleep. Try not to eat all the food while I'm gone!"

The 22-year-old watched him leave until his curly, sandy-brown hair was out of sight. She forced herself to follow his instructions; although her small meal suppressed her growling stomach, she continued to drool a little at the memory of Mrs. Grubb's bacon and pork pies.

"You like him, don't you?" Conrad asked once Bilbo was out of hearing range.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not stupid, Poppy. I see the way you look at him," the 12-year-old commented with a nonchalant shrug. "And the way he looks at you."

"Don't be silly, Con. We're just friends, Bilbo and I."

"Mmhhhmmm."

"I'm serious!"

"You're lying."

"I am NOT..."

Her brother laughed at the fake confidence in her voice, and shook his head at her failed attempt of hiding her true feelings. "Look, if you don't want anyone to know, try making it a little less obvious, okay?"

"Do you think HE knows?" Poppy asked, a bit horrified.

"Bilbo? I doubt it," Conrad answered, unable to keep a serious face. "But if you ask me, the poor boy deserves a reward for coming all this way to rescue you... I mean us."

"We don't have any money."

"You know what I'm talkin' about," the hobbit lad wagged his eyebrows, causing his sister to gape in confusion. "Oh, don't tell me I have to EXPLAIN this!"

"It would be very helpful, yes!" Poppy whispered sharply.

"Alright, think about it this way; when the damsel in distress is saved by the hero, what does she normally do afterwards to thank him?"

The 22-year-old stopped and frowned slightly. She racked her brain for any memory of fairy tales, which came in a jumbled blur. "Ummm, write him a strongly-worded apology letter for the trouble, and put together a muffin basket?"

"Nope!"

"A fruit basket?"

"YOU'RE a fruit basket, Poppy," Conrad said, laughing again. "I'm gonna go help Billy-bo. You should stay here and think about it some more."

Poppy rolled her eyes, although her moment of confusion was short-lived. A single memory stuck out from the stories she remembered hearing as a child, although she couldn't recall what those tales were, specifically. A lightbulb flickered on, and the girl smacked herself in the forehead for not remembering it sooner.

_That should've been really obvious! But wait...Does Con expect me to KISS Bilbo? I hardly know him! Not yet, anyways. I don't even know if he likes me back. Besides, isn't HE supposed to kiss ME first? Darn, I think there's some kind of universal code about that... But I don't want to scare him off or anything. He tends to be a bit shy, after all,_ She thought, allowing a bubble of giddy laughter to escape as she followed Conrad. _Oh well. I guess I'll just have to wing it!_

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"Alright, who was the cool guy that got a fire started?" Poppy asked with a raised eyebrow as she entered their 'campsite'. Sure enough, on top of a small pile of branches, sat a modest ball of flame, which lit up the dark forest nicely.

"Guilty," Bilbo replied, raising one hand. "Old Took used to take a few of my cousins and I out hiking, when he was younger, and I was just a tyke. Every time he would say, 'We don't get dinner tonight unless Bilbo can light our fire!' I guess after a few years of those trips, the skill sort of burned itself into my mind."

"I wish I knew how to start a fire," Conrad said, pouting a little.

"Maybe I could teach you sometime!" Bilbo chimed cheerfully. "Why don't you go find some more twigs to fuel it?"

"Okay!"

The two hobbit tweens watched in amusement as the boy leaped to his feet and practically sprinted back into the trees, his dark brown, curly hair bobbing with each step. They sat in comfortable silence for a while until they heard Conrad yelp, following by a "splat" sound. Their ears perked and swiveled towards the sound in curiosity. When the 12-year-old returned, he was soaked with mud, face and all. Poppy started laughing so suddenly that she fell off the log she had been sitting on and rolled across the ground, unable to catch her breath. It took all of Bilbo's willpower to keep himself from doing the same.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Conrad fumed with his hands on his hips. "Even you, Bilbo? I thought you were more mature than that!"

"I wasn't laughing!" The 24-year-old replied, which was only partially true.

"You almost did!"

"At least I contained myself!" Bilbo pointed to Poppy, who was cracking up so much that she could barely breathe. "Unlike SOME people."

"I'm... sorry!" She gasped; when the hobbit lass tried to stand, she busted out into more laughing, and fell back to the ground. "But you... look... so ridiculous!"

Conrad plopped himself next to Bilbo on a log across from the fire. He folded his arms and sighed heavily. "This is wonderful, just wonderful! I smell like... like-"

"Mud?" Poppy interrupted with a huge grin.

"That's it!" Her brother snapped, leaping up from the log and chasing her around the campsite. Bilbo had to grab Conrad by the arm to keep him from tackling Poppy to the ground.

"Calm down, you two!" The hobbit tween said. He quickly pulled his map out from the backpack with his free hand, and held it near the fire so that its light could make it easier to read. "The closest river is back in Hobbiton, so Con, you won't be able to rinse off until we get home tomorrow."

"Dang it," the boy muttered, sitting down next to his friends. "I could really use a bath NOW."

"I agree," Poppy commented with a giggle; she even plugged her nose for extra emphasis.

"Har-har. Real mature."

They stopped talking for a while, but the quietness was interrupted by Bilbo humming a happy-go-lucky tune.

"What song is that?" Poppy asked.

Bilbo blushed a little before responding. "Oh, just something that my parents and I used to sing when I was little; I wasn't a big fan of bath time as a toddler, so we used it as our way if making the event seem silly, and a bit more entertaining for a 4-year-old."

"Come on, then!" Conrad exclaimed, suddenly in a good mood again. "Let's hear it!"

The hobbit tween looked between his two friends, who nodded with a little too much enthusiasm, although he knew it was meant to be encouraging. His voice sounded a little scratchy at first, but his love of music soon took over the nervousness he felt in the beginning.

_"Sing hey! for the bath at close of day_

_that washes the weary mud away!_

_A loon is he that will not sing:_

_O! Water Hot is a noble thing!_

_O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,_

_and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;_

_but better than rain or rippling streams_

_is Water Hot that smokes and steams._

_O! Water cold we may pour at need_

_down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;_

_but better is Beer, if drink we lack,_

_and Water Hot poured down the back._

_O! Water is fair that leaps on high_

_in a fountain white beneath the sky;_

_but never did fountain sound so sweet_

_as splashing Hot Water with my feet!"_

Poppy and her brother begged poor Bilbo to sing the song again, but that time they joined in. Their friend's lovely melody was ruined by the sibling's off-key voices, although none of them cared. It was nice to let loose and sing, something they hadn't done in a while. After putting out the fire, they crawled into their makeshift sleeping bags and tried to go to sleep. Conrad was the only one who succeeded, though.

"Bilbo!" Poppy whispered. They had set the sleeping bags up in a triangle shape, so it was easy for her to turn onto her side, propped up with one elbow, and look at him.

"Yes?" He responded softly, shifting so that he could look at her, too.

"I can't sleep!"

Bilbo chuckled and gave her a cute smile. "Neither can I!"

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"I'm not sure. We had an entertaining evening, after all."

"Maybe it's because Con still smells like mud."

"Maybe." After a bit of thought, Bilbo began to climb out of his sleeping bag. "Tell you what, why don't we go somewhere else and talk for a while? I'm too wide awake to doze off anytime soon."

Poppy nodded, then followed him a little ways out of their campsite (far enough so that they wouldn't wake up her brother, but not so far that they couldn't keep an eye on him). The two friends sat down and leaned against the logs they had been using as chairs earlier. For a while they simply looked up at the trees, their shoulders brushing every so often. Poppy fought the urge to turn and study his facial expressions. Out the corner of her eye she saw him smile for the millionth time that night; he looked content, comfortable, even.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked randomly.

"A million different things," he said with a shrug. "I never properly thanked you for saving me from the River."

"You didn't have to," Poppy responded. They were sitting side-by-side, so she leaned towards him a little. "Besides, you came all the way out here to rescue Con and I. I don't know what we would've done..."

"Hey, my goal wasn't to 'get even', remember? Besides, a simple 'thank you' wouldn't be enough for me to thank you. I would've died in the Water, if it weren't for you."

"So could we. We didn't have any food out here, or shelter for that matter."

"At least we're both okay now, right?"

Poppy nodded and yawned as a sudden wave of sleepiness hit her like a bullet. She dozed off right there, her back against the log and her shoulder touching Bilbo's. Her head leaned over so that it was resting in the crook of his neck (not that she knew about that, of course). Much like the first night that had happened, Bilbo brushed Poppy's light brown hair back away from her face. He didn't want to wake her, so the hobbit lad stayed there all night until he finally fell asleep there, too.

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By the time morning came around, the two young hobbits had only gotten about five hours of slumber. Poppy awoke with a surprise; she wasn't curled up in her "sleeping bag" like she thought she was, but partially leaning on a log, with her head in the crook of Bilbo's neck.

_What in the Shire...?_ She wondered silently, feeling her face begin to warm. _How many times is this going to happen?_

The 22-year-old was actually pretty cozy, and Bilbo looked the same way. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but she knew that if they wanted to make it back to Hobbiton before sundown, they needed to get an early start. Poppy gave her friend a light poke in a nose, giggling to herself.

_I should let him sleep longer,_ she decided. It was difficult getting up without waking him, but with very small movements and a great deal of effort, Poppy was able to tiptoe back to the campsite quietly. But for some reason, Conrad wasn't there. She explored the area for a bit, with similar results. It was as if her brother had disappeared out of thin air.

The girl ran back and shook Bilbo awake, fear gripping her heart.

"Hmmmmm... What? Where? Why? Poppy?" He mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's going on?"

"I can't find Conrad!" She squeaked. "I looked around the campsite, and-"

"HEEEEELP!"

They froze in shock as the 12-year-old boy ran into the clearing, and sprinted right past them while screaming, "THE MOUNTAIN IS MOVING!".

Poppy turned around just in time to see an extraordinarily large shadow creeping above the trees. The creature had to be four, maybe five times taller than them. But she was definitely NOT waiting to find out.

"Come on!" Poppy yelled before grabbing Bilbo's arm and dragging him into a run. "We have to catch up with him!"

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**Sorry guys! I'm leaving you with a cliffy. But don't worry, I'll post a new chapter soon!**

**Until next time!**

**-Swimchick :)**


	12. Chapter 11

**The one where Poppy, Bilbo and Conrad almost get run over by a troll. **

**Thank you, everyone who has reviewed my last couple of chapters! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters and storyline that I make up. Everything else belongs to Tolkien! Well, and Peter Jackson, in a way.**

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**Chapter 11: Bilbo, At Your Service!**

Poppy had no idea how hard it would be to catch him with her brother. The kid ran like a rabbit, his large feet kicking up dust as he sprinted through the trees. She herself was a bit on the slow side, and perhaps clumsy, too, although she would never admit it. Even Bilbo was a faster runner than her. He could have easily left her behind and reached Conrad with time to spare, but never in his wildest dreams would he even think of doing that. Instead he took up the rear, while cheering Poppy on to speed her up. The monster that had begun to chase them was anything but graceful, though; the ground shook with every step it took, and it roared defiantly in anger at the three hobbits.

They finally caught up to Conrad when he took a sharp turn without slowing down. The boy's legs flew out from underneath him; he skidded down a slope in the ground, and hit the dirt with an "Oof". Bilbo grabbed him by the forearm, pulled him to his feet, and allowed him to take the lead once more.

"Conrad, what did you DO!?" Poppy gasped, still struggling to keep up.

"I don't know!" Her brother snapped in reply. "When I woke up, you guys weren't in your sleeping bags. I climbed this little hill-type-thing, hoping it would give me a better view of my surroundings. It started to move, so I ran back to the campsite. Turns out the 'hill' was actually a monster."

"Ugh!" The hobbit lass groaned. "You never think anything through! I mean, how does someone NOT notice that the ground they're walking on, is actually a-"

"Troll."

Poppy and Conrad shot Bilbo surprised glances.

"The creature chasing us is a troll," he said, matter-of-factly."I've read about them in books."

Their attacker roared once more, a sound that echoed off the trees and rang in their sensitive ears. Adrenaline rushed through Poppy's veins, and her heart was beating so fast that she kept waiting for it to fly right out of her chest. The girl could feel the throbbing of her blood pulsating in her throat. She soon discovered that, although she couldn't run at impressive speeds, she was able to go for a long time without getting tired easily. A "WOOSH!" sound, much similar to that of ten trees falling at the same time, came dangerously close to them. The troll was trying to beat them with his club.

Bilbo knew it was useless to try and look at his map, but he had visited that forest many times, and knew they were headed back towards home. He quickly jumped ahead of Conrad and skidded to a stop, causing the two of them to crash into each other.

"What the heck!" Poppy's brother screamed over the roaring of the creature. "We're trying to run for our lives here!"

"We need to turn around!" Bilbo exclaimed. "In less you want to lead the troll back to Hobbiton!"

Without thinking, he grabbed Poppy's hand, she grabbed Conrad's, and together they ran under their attacker's extremely tall legs. It roared and tried to swing its club at them, but ended up hitting himself in the, uh, painful place. The troll fell forward, still screaming angrily. The three hobbits continued to run, but this time in the opposite direction. It wasn't long until they heard the stomping coming after them again.

"Great, just great!" Conrad screeched. "Got any more bright ideas, Billy-Bo? Speak now or forever hold your peace!"

The tween racked his brain for any useful information he'd read about trolls. Running for his life made concentration difficult, but once the lightbulb in his head flickered on, he couldn't hold back his cheer of excitement.

"Do you see that gap in the trees over there?" Bilbo asked, pointing ahead. "We need to lead the troll under it."

"How do we do that?" Poppy exclaimed.

"We need someone to create a diversion."

The two older hobbits looked down at Conrad with mischievous grins.

"Oh HECK no!" He squeaked.

Poppy gave him a quick shove towards the gap in the trees before racing off to hide, with Bilbo at her heels. "You're the fastest runner, and adorably fun-sized! Go on, you're perfect for the job!" She shouted over her shoulder.

"Come on guys, seriously?" Conrad said from where he stood under the gap of sunlight. "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula!?"

"I dunno, make something up!"

Bilbo nudged his friend in the shoulder and whispered, "What's a 'hula'?".

She couldn't help but giggle in response. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

Poppy's good mood vanished once the troll's shadow crept over her brother. The poor kid started shaking with fear, but he put on a brave face and puffed his chest out. When their attacker started to veer off in the other direction, Conrad jumped up and down, waving his arms in the air to get its attention once more.

"Over here, mud-face!" He shouted. "Yeah, that's right, stupid! I'm talking to you! Come on, pea-brain! Let's see what you got!"

"Oi! Who you callin' a pea-brain!?" The troll guffawed, raising his club over his ugly, green-tinted head and swinging it down on the ground viciously.

Conrad jumped out of the way easily before leaping to his feet and grinning. "Come on, bro! Do you even lift?"

The monster roared and smashed his fist in front of the boy, who stumbled backwards from the impact. To Poppy and Bilbo's joy the troll followed him under the spot of sun. As soon as its body hit the spotlight, it began to turn to stone. Conrad jumped up and down and cheered with victory as he watched his attacker become immobilized, and his friends joined in.

"That was awesome!" Poppy exclaimed, giving him a well-deserved high-five.

"It really was!" Bilbo agreed. He couldn't help but notice their strange way of speaking, though; "awesome" wasn't the most commonly used word, he had no clue what a "bro" was supposed to be, and Poppy still needed to explain "the hula".

"Eh, Billy-Bo's the real genius here," Conrad said. "How did you know that would happen? Wait! Let me guess... You read it in a book once?"

"No, Old Took used to tell me stories about creatures of Middle Earth. I remembered the troll one in particular, because he always tried to convince me that the same thing happens to hobbits, on occasion."

"Does it?" The 12-year-old boy gasped, causing his sister and friend to chuckle.

"If my memory serves me right, there should be a path up ahead," Bilbo commented.

"Hold on, guys! You didn't answer my question."

"Ah, yes, it takes us straight to the East Road!"

"Do. Hobbits. Turn. To stone. In. The. Sunlight!?"

Poppy and Bilbo's laughter filled the forest as they continued to ignore the boy's questions. Soon enough the trees parted, revealing a long stretch of meadow, and across from them, a road. Conrad was hesitant to follow, with fear that he would become stone, just as the troll had. His sister rolled her eyes and tugged him forward.

"Bilbo was kidding, dear brother!" She said with a smile. "But you should've seen the look in your face!"

"You two are cruel!" Conrad screeched. Before they knew what was happening, the boy lunged for his sister, who laughed at his attempt, took Bilbo's hand, and raced across the meadow. He chased them around until their adrenaline rush wore off, all the while yelling and waving his fists in the air. Poppy suddenly tripped over a gopher hole in the ground; she rolled downhill with poor Bilbo in tow, and her brother trying to keep up, straight into the path ahead.

Normally this wouldn't have frightened them. The three hobbits started laughing instantly, their sides heaving with exhaustion. They didn't notice the quickly approaching sound of a horse's hooves, and the clatter of a wooden cart.

"Whoa there!" A rider yelled. His voice was deep, and had a concerned edge to it. His horse came to a stop just in front of the hobbits' heads, where they laid in a jumbled mess on the road.

"What have we got here?" He bellowed, stepping down from the cart to investigate. "Bless my beard! If it isn't little Bilbo Baggins himself! Although not so little anymore, I suppose!"

The sandy-haired lad opened one brown eye, then another, before grinning a surprised grin and jumping to a stand. "Gandalf! What are you doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same!" The wizard replied with a chuckle. "And who are your friends? I don't believe I've met them before!"

Poppy and her brother finally had the guts to open their eyes, as well. Looming before them was an extremely tall (for hobbit standards), older man. He wore a long grey cloak and a silver scarf. His hair, beard and all, was white as can be, and his bushy eyebrows puffed out from under the brim of his pointed, blue hat. She also couldn't help but notice how bright his eyes were.

"Oh, my apologies! This is Poppy Boffin, and her brother, Conrad," Bilbo said cheerfully. "They moved in with the Grubbs about a week ago."

"Gandalf the Grey, at your service," the wizard said. He even did a little bow, causing Poppy to giggle.

"And me, at yours!" She answered while mimicking his movement.

Everyone looked at Conrad and waited for him to say something. But the boy just stared shyly at his feet.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Con?" His sister asked.

He shook his head 'no' and shifted his feet awkwardly.

"Why not?"

Conrad got on his tippy-toes and whispered in Poppy's ear. "Haven't you notice? The guy's taller than a mountain!"

Gandalf surprisingly had excellent hearing. He let out a chortle of a laugh before hopping into the front seat of his cart.

"No need to feel uncomfortable around me, lad! I'm a good friend of Bilbo's family," the old wizard said. "In fact, why don't I give you three a ride back to Bag End?"

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to trouble you," Poppy answered.

"It's no trouble at all, my dear! I was actually headed there myself, when I noticed you in the road. Come, come! It will give Bilbo and I a chance to catch up."

Despite his earlier shyness, Conrad called shotgun, leaving his sister and friend to share the "backseat" of the cart, which really wasn't that bad at all. For a while they just sat there and watched the Shire's beautiful green hills pass by. Every now and then Bilbo would risk a glance at Poppy, but look away before she noticed. She was the one girl that he felt comfortable with, and could actually talk to. Ever since the night after his near-death experience in the River, simply being near her made his heart beat like crazy.

_Is this what it's like to have a crush?_ Bilbo thought to himself. _I've never felt like this before, so I wouldn't know. But she's so wonderful... and pretty... and, what was that word she used earlier? Oh, right! Awesome._

He'd heard rumors of some hobbit-girls having crushes on him, although he'd never really cared about that before. Bilbo didn't notice the other girls, not even when they wore fancy dresses at his family's parties. But it was different with Poppy. He constantly wanted to ask what was on her mind. Did she feel the same way? Bilbo couldn't tell.

"So Gandalf!" The young hobbit lad said, finally breaking the silence. "What brings you to Hobbiton? It's been a while, you know."

"Didn't your parents tell you? They hired me to provide your upcoming birthday party with the most entertaining of fireworks! I brought a few samples, and made a list of the ones you enjoyed as a child, at Old Took's midsummer's eve event."

"Hold up!" Poppy exclaimed, turning towards the sandy-haired hobbit with surprised, bluish-green eyes. "Bilbo, I didn't know that your BIRTHDAY was coming up!"

Her friend blushed slightly, and began to fiddle with his hands. "It's not until September, on the twenty-second. My parents like to start planning around June."

"Oh, good! I still have time to find you a present!"

Bilbo looked taken aback by her comment. "But I'M supposed to give YOU a gift. Well, technically everyone at the party gets one..."

"Oh well! I'm still going to give you something."

And so the ride continued. To spark more conversation, the three hobbits told the story of how they ended up in a forest. Conrad explained (with a bit of exaggeration) how he single-handedly took down a full-sized troll. Poppy also did her best to describe hula dancing to Bilbo (she remembered what it looked like, but could not recal anything beyond that). By the time Gandalf and Co. pulled the cart up to Bag End, the sky was nearing sunset. The wizard unloaded his chest full of fireworks and began his way up the stone pathway.

"Are you coming, Bilbo?" He called over his shoulder with a mysterious twinkle in his eye.

"In a while, yes. I wanted to walk Poppy and her brother home first," the sandy-haired hobbit replied. But when he turned around, Conrad was gone. "Say, where did he go...?"

"Darn it! He ran ahead of us again. He does that sometimes," Poppy said, shaking her head with a bemused expression on her face. "Sometimes I swear he has too much energy for his own good."

She said her "thank you's" to Gandalf and followed Bilbo down Bagshot Row. They were walking particularly close to each other, so that even their hands brushed every so often. Both of them were lost in thought. They approached the Grubb household cautiously, knowing that all craziness would break loose once they saw her. Poppy opened the door quietly and breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that no one was in the main room at the time.

"I honestly can't thank you enough," she said softly to her friend, and gave him a warm smile. "You literally saved our lives, Bilbo Baggins. AND you cheered me up after what happened at that party. I apologize if this comes out sounding really cheesy, but you are literally the most wonderful person I have ever met."

Bilbo wasn't sure how to answer. He rarely ever felt nervous with her. But at that moment he did, and it caught him off guard.

"Oh, it was my honor, Poppy," he replied at last. For added affect, the tween gave a little bow and added, "Bilbo Baggins, at your service!".

Poppy giggled and bowed in return before turning back to the front door. For reasons she was not sure, the girl paused there, just staring at the wall. She could sense that Bilbo was still lingering by the front steps, as well. Poppy wasn't sure what came over her then. She quickly spun around, got on her tippy-toes, and leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. But poor Bilbo misunderstood; he turned his head slightly down so that it became a real kiss.

It was very quick, but left them in a slight state of shock. They stared at each other for a moment, giving each other cheeky smiles and thinking, _did that really just happen_?

"I, umm, uh..." Bilbo began to ramble. Both of their faces turned about three shades darker of red. "Okay, ummm..."

Poppy cut him off with a hug.

"Good night, Bilbo," she said softly, before shuffling back into her hobbit-hole.

They turned their separate ways, their hearts fluttering happily. Both of the young hobbits suddenly felt carefree and joyous, like they were floating. Poppy touched her lips as she closed the round, blue door behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if it all had been a daydream.

The second the girl turned around to face the main room, Mr and Mrs Grubb practically tackled her into a hug. Nora sobbed as she stepped back to look at her.

"Oh, you poor thing!" The woman gasped. "You could've... And we thought...!"

Hugo turned his wife so that she was crying into his shoulder.

"What she's trying to say, is that we were extremely worried, and even frightened," he said. "How long did it take Bilbo to find you? What happened? Why did you run off? Were you-"

Mrs. Grubb smacked him on the arm with a frown. "Hugo! Save the interrogation for later, please! Give the girl a moment to breathe!"

Nora's motherly instincts kicked in to the max. She guided Poppy back to her room, took her hair out of its once-beautiful bun, and did her best to undo the tangles. Afterwards she sent the girl off to take a bath, even though Conrad protested that, as the one who single-handedly defeated a troll, HE should be allowed to go first. Once both of the young hobbits were cleaned up, and in their sleeping clothes, Mr and Mrs Grubb made a huge supper, with all of their favorites.

By the time Poppy was back in bed, she was smiling uncontrollably. The day had been scary, amazing, and wonderful at the same time. Mostly because she'd finally kissed Bilbo, although she highly doubted that it counted as much, being as how quick it was. She vowed to kiss him for real, once the perfect moment arrived.

All in all, it was good to be home.

* * *

**So what did you guys think about Poppy and Conrad talking a little more modernly? They originally came from the twenty-first century, so I wanted their personalities to reflect that. Please review, and feel free to share your opinions! Advice is much appreciated! :) Thanks for reading!**

**Until next time,**

**Swimchick**


	13. Chapter 12

**Well, this chapter should hopefully explain a lot. Prepare for a bit of an emotional roller coaster, though. Poppy and Conrad will learn more about their backstory, Bilbo will get a paparazzi ambush, and more!**

**Now on with the chapter, I say! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Hope**

The next day was spent in lavish laziness around their homes. The three young hobbits all slept in past second breakfast, and it took a great deal of willpower to finally get out of bed. Mattresses are, after all, much more comfy than resting on cruel earth, as they were reminded after the "Forest Incident". Once dressed and cleaned up, they enjoyed more food than imaginably possible. In between meals they read and lounged around, even taking a few extra naps. Poppy, Bilbo, and Conrad were excused from chores and schooling because of their day off, and they loved every second of it!

The following morning started off very different for the two groups of young hobbits. Bilbo got up before breakfast, dressed, and shuffled down to the kitchen. His parents were still sleeping, so he took an apple from a basket on top of the kitchen table and bit into it absent-mindedly. The juice dripped down the boy's chin and landed on his white shirt. He became frustrated at first, but calmed down quickly.

_It's just a shirt, after all_, Bilbo reminded himself cheerfully.

He plopped himself down in one of the parlor's armchairs and sighed contentedly through closed lips. It surprised him how little the apple juice stain was bothering him. Just a few weeks ago, Bilbo probably would've spent hours trying to fix his shirt. But now he simply shrugged it off, and continued to eat.

His happy moment soon came to an end when he heard a loud rapping on the door. The hobbit tween got to his feet, threw the apple core away, and peeked through one of Bag End's front windows. Several neighbors were waiting outside, looking irritated and in a hurry. Before Bilbo could investigate, his mother came gliding down the hallway, while talking to Bungo over her shoulder.

"-and don't even get me started on how badly I need to water those flowers!" Belladonna called to her husband.

She paused, watching her son peek curiously through a nearby window, and smiled at him.

"Bilbo, dear, isn't it a bit early for such queer behavior?" The hobbit woman prompted, standing akimbo.

When she walked over to look, as well, Belladonna noticed the stain, and let out a frustrated and angry gasp.

"Bilbo Baggins!" She screeched. "What did you do to your new shirt!?"

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Her son yelped, with his hands held up in defense. "I was eating an apple, and-"

The rapping on the door started up again, cutting him off. Belladonna sighed and waved the boy off. "We'll finish this later. Just go change into something else, please."

Bilbo ducked his head, nodded, and slid back down the hallway, careful to remain out of sight from the windows. Once his mother was sure that he had made it to his room, she opened the door a little, just enough to poke her face through.

"Good morning," Belladonna said cautiously. "How can I help you?"

The neighbors ignored her. One of them, a particularly round hobbit with fluffy, black hair, even tried to weasel his way past her.

"Excuse me!" Belladonna gasped. She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her. Her face held a stern look, which intensified as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. " Can I HELP you with anything?"

"Is Bilbo home?" A different man asked, from somewhere at the back of the crowd. "That son of yours?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Haven't you heard?" The round hobbit replied jokingly. "He's a hero!"

"That's right! Rescued those kids from the forest, he did!" A woman added.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Belladonna answered. "My husband and I are very proud of him. But it was a team effort, getting home. Bilbo provided food, a map, and whatever guidance he could, but Poppy and Conrad helped HIM just as much as HE helped THEM."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I don't exactly follow," one of the neighbors commented; he was the only one not taking notes on what Belladonna was saying.

"Did you come here to... interview him?" She asked.

"Of course! Interesting news like this doesn't come along very often, Ma'am!" Someone answered, sounding a bit too cheerful. "We want to hear the story from the kids themselves. After this, we'll be visiting Poppy and Conrad. Then-"

"My son isn't interested!" Belladonna snapped. She tried to 'keep her cool', but the neighbors were starting to annoy her. The hobbit woman forced back a sly grin as she came up with a quick lie. "Besides, you just missed him! Bilbo stepped out for some fresh air earlier today, and hasn't returned yet."

"When will he be back?"

"Not for a long while!"

She opened the round, green door and scurried back inside. Belladonna wasn't careful enough to close it as quickly, though; Bilbo had returned from changing his shirt, and one of the neighbors spotted him on the dot.

"There he is!" One of the crowd members called. "He's right there, in the hallway!"

"No he isn't!" Belladonna yelped, slamming the door behind her.

But the neighbors were persistent. They stuck their feet and hands in the way, forcing themselves into the small space. Bilbo stared at his mother like a deer in the headlights, watching her hold them back. "Go out the back door!", she mouthed, shooing him off with one hand. Her son skirted away as fast as possible, and continued to run until Bag End was far behind him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Poppy also woke up at a reasonable time. She put on a light pink and white dress, combed out her curly hair, and made her bed before tiptoeing down the hall. To her surprise, Conrad was already seated at the kitchen table, with Mr. Grubb beside him. Nora remained standing; she sipped her tea nervously, while leaning against one of the kitchen counters.

"Poppy," her brother said, his voice edged with a mischievous tone. "We've been expecting you."

"So I see," she replied, pulling out a chair across from him and sitting down slowly. "Are we having some kind of meeting? How come I didn't get the memo?"

"It was last-minute, dear," Mrs. Grubb answered.

"Obviously," she mouthed, staring down at her hands. "So, what's this all about?"

Hugo gave his wife one of those "I really don't want to do this" looks. He appeared just as out-of-place and awkward as the two young hobbits felt.

"We would like to discuss the 'Forest Incident'," He began after clearing his throat.

"But Con and I already explained everything," Poppy responded. "What more do you need to know?"

"We want to know why you ran off like that."

"Easy!" Conrad said. "Poppy was scared of a boy."

"For a good reason!" The 22-year-old snapped, shooting her brother a warning glare.

"Look, dear, Hugo and I get that Will frightened you," Nora said. "It worries us, that that boy would treat you in such a way. But running off was NOT the most mature way to handle the situation."

Poppy could only stare at them and try to blink away her confusion. "Wait... What?"

"We trusted Conrad in your care that night. Yes, we're extremely glad that you two are okay. But as the older sibling, you need to be more responsible, and show some maturity."

"Are you blaming ME?" The hobbit girl gasped. "I had no idea that Con would FOLLOW me! Besides, Will was drinking alcohol at that party! He could have... I dunno, hurt me, or something!"

"We understand that, Poppy," Hugo replied. "But we also feel that-"

"Oh, I know EXACTLY how you feel!" Conrad tried to stop his sister as she jumped to her feet. She jerked her arm away from his touch and shoved her chair into the table.

Nora gave the girl a pleading look. "Sweetheart-"

"No! You blame ME for what happened!" Poppy exclaimed. "Right?"

When the older hobbits didn't answer, she whirled around and stormed out. She made sure to slam the light blue door behind her. Poppy was fuming as she charged across the front lawn, but her rage was soon replaced by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It had to do with what she'd said, just a few minutes before...

She halted in front of the window, which opened up to reveal the hobbit-hole's kitchen, where the Grubbs and Conrad still sat. The girl's breathing became deep and shallow; she couldn't get enough air to her lungs, and it frightened her. She tried folding her arms behind her head, but nothing was working. Her vision blurred with tears, and a sob cracked through her throat. Poppy's head ached with a sudden migrane, which was worsening by the second. The pain and emotions became so strong that she fell to her knees and screamed into her hands.

_What's happening to me?_ She wanted to cry, but couldn't force the sound out. Poppy heard someone, possibly Conrad, yelling her name. The last thing she remembered before passing out, was the feeling of someone's hands picking her up and carrying her back inside.

* * *

_Imagine having an awful nightmare, while at the same time, knowing that the story was true. It was like watching a movie; she could see the characters so clearly. They were extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't remember them._

_The scenery was dark and alien. A large object, which had the resemblance of a shiny cart, sped down a long, wide road. The clouds were grey and dense, and they filled the night sky with an eerie spookiness. Inside the object were four people. They were humans, dressed in strange clothing. Music blasted from out of nowhere, like some kind of witchcraft, and the person sitting in the front left seat could control the shiny, futuristic cart with a turn of the wheel, which she clutched tightly._

Where are the horses?_ Poppy wondered. _How is the vehicle moving without horsepower?

_An adult male sat shotgun; he was middle-aged, with dark, brown hair and blue eyes. In the seat behind him was another older human, this time a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and round glasses. A boy with brown hair and green eyes, who looked to be about seven years old, lounged comfortably next to her. The girl driving looked just like Poppy, except her hair wasn't curly, and she appeared about seventeen or so._

_"Turn the music down, please," the woman said, holding the boy's hand and trying not to show how nervous she felt._

_"Why?" The girl snapped. She even had the guts to turn the volume up._

_"Because, Elise, you need to focus," the man replied sternly. The family was on edge, except for the boy, who gazed contentedly out the window._

_Elise gave an annoyed sigh before punching the "power" button on radio. "There, happy now?"_

_The vehicle went silent. No one spoke for a long time. The boy who looked just like Conrad resulted to playing a video game. Elise was still in a bad mood; she sped the car up, causing her father to cuss under his breath._

_"Jeez, El, let up on the gas, will ya'?" He said. "We'd like to make it there in one piece, if that's alright with you."_

_"Stop nagging me, Dad!" The girl mumbled. "I know what I'm doing!"_

_"Then slow the fudge down! Look, the restraunt's right there. You can pull up on the curb..."_

_"I'm GOING!"_

_Elise did as she was told, and her parents let out sighs of relief in unison._

_"Jake, please don't bring your game inside," the woman said._

_The boy that looked like Conrad nodded and tucked his handheld into the back of the driver's seat, his head held low. No one dared to be the first to leave the vehicle. Instead they simply sat there, eyes locked on anything and everything but each other._

_"I'm sorry," the girl muttered. Her parents raised their eyebrows at each other. "I'm just frustrated."_

_"We know," Her mother replied. She smiled and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "And we understand."_

_"Yeah yeah, we're all really happy again," Jake grumbled. "Come ON, you guys! I'm about ready to chew on my arm over here!"_

_Elise laughed, and reached down to take the keys out. But before she could, a bright light suddenly flashed through the side window. She squinted her eyes and tried to gasp out a warning, but there wasn't enough time. A car was squealing towards them, headed for the right side of the vehicle. It's driver was stomping ferociously on the brakes, but to no avail. Elise screamed as the two cars collided; hers was sent flying towards the restraunt. It did a little half-flip before landing right by the front door. Blood trickled down her temple, and her bones ached. They were surrounded by broken glass..._

_Everyone was quiet again._

_Fast forward to a few weeks later. Elise sat in the front row of a church, with Jake next to her. An older woman who looked like her mother got up in front of the audience. Her hair was frizzy, her eyes crazy, and disoriented. The girl held her breath as she watched the woman begin to speak._

_"I was asked to prepare a speech. As you may know, because I am Jake and Elise's aunt, I will be taking them in for the time being."_

_The woman frowned in Elise's direction before continuing. "But I refuse to let them drive my car."_

_"What are you insinuating!?" The girl exclaimed, leaping to her feet. She didn't care that all of he parents' old friends were in the church, too, watching her. She didn't have the heart to care anymore._

_"Calm down, Ellie," Jake said, patting her arm._

_"No! She blames ME for what happened!" His sister spat. "Right?"_

_The audience gasped and shook their heads, but none of them tried to disrupt the heated argument. Even her aunt remained silent._

_"Conrad and I loved our parents more than anything in the entire world!" Elise cried, wiping the tears away from her eyes with the back of one hand. "It was a f-freak accident! I had p-parked the c-car already... It wasn't my fault!"_

_"But you were driving," her aunt sneered. "And now here we are, at their FUNERAL. Jake even told me that it was YOUR idea to go to the restraunt that night. Perhaps this could have been avoided."_

It wasn't her fault!_ Poppy wanted to scream. _I saw it! It wasn't her fault!

_But no one could hear her. She watched as Elise casted one last glance towards the two black coffins, at the end of the room. The girl whispered "I'm sorry", then stormed out, slamming the doors behind her._

* * *

Poppy woke up to Mrs. Grubb talking softly to someone. She was lying on her bed again, with a damp cloth pressed to her forehead and the sheets tucked around her. The girl strained her ears to eavesdrop on what Nora was saying. All she could remember from the'vision' was the sound of tires screeching on pavement, shattering glass, and her own screaming. If it weren't for that, Poppy would've doubted if the dream had come to her at all.

"-a freak accident, they called it," Mrs. Grubb said, her voice low and sad. "She was driving an old cart, with Conrad and their parents sitting in the back. They were arguing, and Poppy pulled over to try and calm everyone down. They weren't paying attention... A different cart crashed into them, from out of nowhere!"

The hobbit woman paused to cry a little, before continuing. "Poppy's always blamed herself; she thought she could have prevented the whole thing, by not pulling the cart over in the first place. And to make matters worse, that horrid aunt of theirs started making accusations at the funeral. The poor girl stormed off, and Conrad followed her. They went missing for a few months, before moving in with their aunt. There weren't many other options at the time. Hugo and I offered to let them stay with us, but they wanted to try and make it work. Anyways, when Poppy gets mad, she runs off. That's why I was so worried about the 'Forest Incident', and why I confronted her about it."

Poppy instantly felt guilty for yelling at Mrs. Grubb; she was only looking out for them, and their safety. She started to climb out of bed, and almost stepped on her brother, who was sitting on the floor. He looked up at her with a small smile. Conrad had obviously heard Nora talking, too.

So now they knew what had happened to their parents. It didn't bring back any memories, but it helped fill in the blanks.

Poppy knew what she had to do; she had to stop dwelling on the past. Waking up without any memory gave her and Conrad the fresh start that they so desperately needed. She smiled back at her brother, and with him by her side, walked down to the parlor and gave Mrs. Grubb an apology.

Perhaps there was hope, after all.

* * *

**Don't worry, the next chapter will be more upbeat. :) Was it confusing at all? I**** know I sort of jumped around with the whole 'vision' thing and whatnot. Please review, if you get the chance! I love feedback and advice! ^_^ **

**Thanks for reading! Hopefully a new update will come soon.**

**-Swimchick**


	14. Chapter 13

***IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!***

** 1) I changed the cover photo and summary for this story! :D You like? Yay or nay?**

**2) This is NOT a Mary Sue, but those of you who read my profile may remember me mentioning that my favorite song is Young Volcanoes, by Fallout Boy. That song plays a small part in this chapter. I normally don't do that kind of thing, but I feel like mixin' it up! **

**3) I recently remembered that most of the days and months in Middle Earth/ the Shire have different names than in the real world. However, to avoid confusion (mostly on my behalf), I will be using modern calendar references, like "Friday" instead of "Highday", "January" instead of "Afteryule", etc. If that really bothers you, well... Let me know. **

**4) Sorry for any typos I may have missed; I re-read each chapter countless times before uploading, but what can I say? Sometimes I fail at life. We all have those days, right? Yeah. **

**5) The original awesomeness that this story is based off of belongs to Tolkien (and Peter Jackson, in a way). I'm just a fan! :)**

**Thank you, nutterbutter, for your continuous reviews! It really means a lot to me!**

**And on with the chapter, I say! **

* * *

**Chapter 13: A Better Day**

* * *

By the time Poppy entered the kitchen, with Conrad at her heels, she had already formed a beautiful apology speech in her mind, in return for snapping at Mrs. Grubb earlier that morning. She was surprised to see the hobbit woman at the dinner table, with a stranger sitting across from her. He had a pudgy friendliness about him; his round face shined as they conversed, and his bushy, red hair fluffed out in many directions. Poppy cleared her throat, as the adults hadn't noticed her and Conrad's presence yet.

"Oh, hello dear!" Nora said, greeting the lass with a warm smile. "How are you feeling?

"Better," she replied solemnly, and nodded in the direction of the other hobbit sitting at the table. "Who's this?"

"Oh, yes, this is Mr. Otbert Underhill. He came by to drop off some paperwork, and discuss the process Hugo and I would take to make your our official heirs."

Conrad's face broke out into a wide grin as he heard this. "You mean you're going to adopt us? Even after Poppy was a total jerk this morning?"

His sister punched him in the shoulder and shot him a death look.

Mrs. Grubb nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! In less you've changed your mind."

The boy attacked the poor woman with a great hug. He then stepped back to look at Nora again, still smiling. "Why would we back out now?"

Mrs. Grubb chuckled and patted his head, before turning to Poppy. The hobbit-lass shuffled her feet; she didn't want to give her grande speech in front of Mr. Ot-Whatever-His-Name-Was, and her face still flushed from Conrad calling her a jerk. But Poppy knew that she had to toughen up, and be mature.

"I'm truly sorry for my behavior earlier today," she began. "It was foolish and disrespectful. I promise it won't happen again anytime soon."

Nora bent down to hug the tween, her eyes shining. "You were forgiven a long time ago, sweetie. Sometimes we girls just need to rant. It's not always wise to hold your emotions in, after all. Besides, I've been worried about that little faint spell you had earlier."

Poppy stared down at the floor, trying to remember what had happened. She recalled having an extremely bad headache, but that was it. Before she could reply, Mr. Otbert Underhill accidentally elbowed his glass of tea off the table. It shattered loudly, and echoed down the tunnels that made up Mr and Mrs Grubb's hobbit-hole. The sounded reminded her all too much of what she had heard in the dream, although that's all she could remember from it.

The girl flinched instantly, only partially out of reflex. She crouched down on the ground and covered her ears with her hands, trying to shake away the haunting drone of wheels screeching on pavement, glass windows breaking, and her family screaming, which was going on a loop in her head. Mrs. Grubb sat down next to Poppy and held her in her arms, whispering words of encouragement. But she continued to sob, and nothing the poor woman said could cheer her up. Nora looked between Conrad and Mr. Underhill with concern and confusion on her face.

Finally Conrad rolled his eyes and pulled his sister by her elbow. Once the lass was standing, he practically shoved her out the front door. She spun around on the porch, frustratedly wiping a few stray tears off her face .

"You need some fresh air, Poppy!" The boy exclaimed. "Go find Malva, or take a walk. I'll be outside later, probably with Marcho or Hending, if you're wondering where I am."

"But I look like a mess!" His sister squeaked. "I'll frighten the neighbors away!"

"No one cares what you look like! Now begone, before I tell Mrs. Grubb that you kissed Bilbo." The last part was said in a whisper.

"That was NOT a kiss! I was simply-"

"No, the OTHER time!" Conrad replied with a wag of his eyebrows. "The other day, when you two were standing by the door."

Poppy stared at him in a mix of horror and shock.

"That's right, I saw the whole thing!" Her brother added, pleased with how easily he could tease her. Conrad started making kissing sounds with his mouth, too, which flustered the girl even more.

"I'm leaving now!" Poppy called over her shoulder as she turned around and practically sprinted down the road.

The sound of his mischievous laughter soon faded into the background, much to her relief. And Conrad was right; the fresh air was already making her feel better. She took a deep breath through her nose, loving the smell of summer in Hobbiton. It was the beginning of June, which meant she had four months to find Bilbo the perfect birthday present. Poppy decided that she would work for the money, as it didn't feel right to ask her soon-to-be adopted parents. She had just started brainstorming ideas, when two familiar faces began skipping down the road towards her.

"Malva! Hending!" She called after them with her hands cupped around her mouth.

The redheads looked up from their conversation in surprise, but quickly beamed back in her direction. All three young hobbits ran down the path until they were standing in front of each other.

"Well hullo there!" Malva said once she was by Poppy's side.

"Hey! Fancy meetin' you here!" Her friend replied. The siblings gave her queer looks, but she was used to that. Most hobbits didn't understand her and Conrad's strange ways of speaking. "It's been a while since I've last seen you guys."

"Maybe you would have more time to chat, if you stopped taking carefree strolls in dangerous forests!"

Poppy laughed and slung one arm over the red-haired girl's shoulder, before turning to Hending. "Same old Malva. Oh, by the way, Hen, my brother was looking forward to some 'bro time' today. He's still at home, if you want to go find him."

"Great! Malva hasn't left me alone all day!" The boy said as he spun off in opposite direction.

Malva rolled her eyes and looped one arm through Poppy's. "Well, I guess it's just you and me! And maybe Bilbo, too; I saw him leaving Bag End earlier."

"Really!?" Poppy squeaked excitedly, earning her a raised eyebrow and a small smile from her friend. "I mean, umm... That's cool."

"No way!" Malva said, practically squealing. "Do you FANCY him?"

"What? Me? Pssht! No. Why would you think that? Absolutely not!"

"Stop rambling, I can see it in your eyes."

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Mmmm-hmmm!"

"Son of a biscuit! I thought I was a better actress than that."

The girls veered off the path and continued walking through the grass, which held a few scattered daisies. Butterflies and other insects dotted the meadow, too. Poppy smiled as the wind lazily swept across the field, tousling her light brown hair. She could tell that the rest of her day was going to be a big improvement compared to that morning. Her friend plopped herself down on the ground, and motioned for her to do the same. Poppy followed suit.

"You're a very queer person, do you know that?" Malva asked.

"I may have been told that... once or twice," Poppy answered.

"Don't worry, that's what I like about you. You're not boring and soft, like most of the hobbits around here. And you're not afraid to be yourself. I bet that's one of the things Bilbo likes about you, too."

"Wow, we're still talking about that?"

"Absolutely!" The redhead laughed at the slightly uncomfortable look on Poppy's face. "You're the first girl he's ever shown interest in. And trust me, there are a LOT of hobbit lasses around here that would love to be friends with him... Or more than friends, I should say."

"Wonderful, just wonderful. I really, really don't want to start drama, or competition."

"There definitely isn't any competition. Bilbo's polite when they talk to him, but besides that, he barely looks their way," Malva reassured her. "So am I the only person that knows?"

"No, Conrad found out a few days ago."

"What!? How!?"

"Let's just say that my brother's much more perceptive than we give him credit for," Poppy answered. She could feel her face reddening as she added, "And he kinda-sorta saw us kiss."

Malva squealed so loudly that the sound rang in the girl's ears. She tackled Poppy into a hug, laughing with glee.

"But I don't think it counted! It didn't even last a second."

"So? A kiss is a kiss!" The redhead responded. "Awww, my little Poppy's growing up!"

"Can we please change the subject now?"

"Yes. Wait! No. First, there's something extremely important that I need to explain. I'm assuming you're the kind of girl who's never really courted before."

"Righteo-Bob," Poppy said.

"Does that mean, 'you've assumed correctly'?"

"You bet!"

"Perfect. Anyway, as I was saying, there is a certain rule that must be followed, when it comes to kissing. Here it is: if the girl kisses the boy first, said boy must kiss HER next. And if the situation was flip-flopped, so must be the rule."

As Malva continued to describe the complicated-ness that had become of their conversation, Poppy's head began to ache, much like it had earlier that day. Although the pain wasn't as extreme, it made her vision foggy, and the sound of her friend began to drone into the background. Before the girl knew what was happening, she blacked out.

* * *

_The vision began with Poppy's look-alike, Elise, walking down a hallway with a bag of candy in one hand. She soon approached a series of doors, each with a set of three numbers at the top. She chose one of the doors and knocked on it. A tall, athletic-looking girl with black, pixy-cut hair and brown eyes answered it. Besides having naturally tan skin, a longer face, sharp cheekbones, and a stronger build, she resembled Malva in many ways. They both had the same happy-go-lucky nature that one could spot from a mile off. Her eyes shone as she swung the door open, a neon-blue guitar hanging by a strap over her shoulders._

_"Hey El! What brings you to my side of the neighborhood?" Pixy-girl asked, waving a hand for Elise to step inside._

_"Jake's at a sleepover, and there's no way in hell I plan on staying home alone," her friend replied. "I think my aunt's devised a plan to murder me in my sleep."_

_"So you thought, 'Hmmm, I bet my best friend doesn't have any plans on this perfectly good Friday night! I should just invite myself over to her apartment, and without any notice whatsoever!'."_

_"Come on, May! I brought gummy worms," Elise answered with pleading eyes as she held up the bag of candy._

_"Alright, alright, I accept your peace treaty," The black-haired girl said. "Welcome to Casa de May: where the food is plenty, and the guitar music is beautimus!"_

_"Wonderful," Elise giggled, plopping herself down on the couch. "Does your TV still have Netflix? We should finish off season one of Sherlock."_

_"Ohhh, about that..."_

_"You already finished season one, didn't you?" _

_"I'm sorry! I was weak."_

_"But we made a pact!"_

_"What's the big deal?" May asked. "Oh right! You're obsessed with Martin Freeman."_

_"No!"_

_"Yes! And it's pretty obvious that Benedict Cumberbatch is much cooler."_

_"Does Benedict Cumberbatch play the role as Bilbo in The Hobbit? I don't think so!"_

_"You're such a nerd."_

_Elise gasped, and threw the bag of gummy worms at her from across the room. "Well YOU'RE such a...not...nice...person?" _

_May held her face in her hands, pretending to look utterly disappointed in herself. Then a lightbulb went on, and she quickly snatched a guitar pick from off the kitchen table, before plopping back down in her lazy-boy recliner._

_"I know what'll cheer you up!" The girl chimed excitedly. "I'll play you your favorite song in the entire world!"_

_"Blunt the Knives?"_

_"Guess again."_

_"Misty Mountains?"_

_"No, Elise. Your favorite NON-NERDY song."_

_"I don't have any. And by the way, I accept my nerdiness with open arms. It makes me who I am."_

_"Whatever. And yes, you do! 'Young Volcanoes', by Fallout Boy."_

_"That's YOUR favorite song, May."_

_"So? It's amazing, nonetheless."_

_Before Elise could protest, her friend began strumming on her guitar. She'd played it so many times, that she didn't even need to look at the sheet music anymore. _

_"Allow me to sing you the song of my people," May said before beginning the first few lines._

_"When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions_

_free of the coliseums._

_In poison places, we are anti-venom._

_We're the beginning of the end."_

_She gave the light brown-haired girl a look that clearly said, "You know the words, take it from here!" Elise rolled her eyes, then took a deep breath and continued through the main chorus._

_"Tonight,_

_ the foxes hunt the hounds._

_It's all over now, _

_before it has begun._

_We've already won._

_We are wild, _

_we are like young volcanoes._

_We are wild, _

_Americana, exotica._

_Do you wanna feel a little beautiful baby?"_

_"YEAH!" They sang loudly at the same time, before busting out into uncontrollable fits if laughter._

_"Great, now that bloody song's gonna be stuck in my head all night!" Elise commented._

_"Perfect! I've accomplished my evil deed of the day."_

_Just as May was putting her guitar away, her friend looked up at the wall, and saw a huge black dot moving across the ceiling. Elise let out a yelp of freight, jumped off the couch, and sprinted out of the apartment, until she was standing adjacent to the doorway._

_"What the heck?" May spat, following her eyes towards the wall. "Oh, come ON! It's just a little spider."_

_"That thing is HUGE! And it's staring at me, with those beady little eyes of death!" Elise squeaked. "Kill it! Kill it now!"_

_May sighed very dramatically as she pulled a broom out of the closet. "This is freaking pathetic. I hope you know that."_

_"Yeah, yeah, just kill it!"_

_Suddenly the spider took off and crawled under the couch._

_"Damn, that thing's a little speed-demon!" May muttered. She tried to smack the broom where the insect had gone, but it was too far away to reach. "Oh well. Looks like we'll just have to let him be."_

_"Let him BE? No way, I'm outta here!"_

_Poppy's dream ended with Elise running back down the hallway, and never looking back._

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she was still lying in the field. Malva was snapping her fingers in Poppy's ears, and screeching "WAKE UP!" as loudly as possible. Her eyes shone with relief as her friend finally blinked the rest of her headache away. All she could remember from that dream, was the chorus of some random song.

"Thank goodness! I thought you were dead!" Malva exclaimed. "What happened?"

"I don't know," the hobbit lass replied sleepily. "But that's the second time today."

Her eyes darted off to the road ahead of them, where a hobbit was taking a stroll. His sandy-brown, curly hair was a bit disheveled, and he seemed to be lost in thought. Malva followed Poppy's eyes, and smiled at who she saw.

"Well, I'd better head home," the redhead sighed. "Tell your Bilbo that I said 'hi'."

"MY Bilbo?" Her friend gaped with a chuckle.

The lad was still a ways off by the time Malva had disappeared in the opposite direction. Poppy leaned back into the grass with her hands behind her head, and began singing the words to the random song she remembered.

"Tonight,

the foxes hunt the hounds.

It's all over now,

before it has begun.

We've already won.

We are wild,

we are like young volcanoes.

We are wild,

Americana, exotica."

She closed her eyes, trying to force back the dream. But it was gone, just like the first one. Sunlight pelted onto the already-warm grass, forcing away the post-springtime chilliness. Poppy was pretty sure that Bilbo hadn't noticed her, and she really wanted to talk to him. The girl skipped down onto the path, still humming, until she was right in his line of view.

"Good afternoon, Poppy!" Bilbo greeted her with a smile as he walked up from behind her.

"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there," she lied. "Where are you headed to?"

"Me? Nowhere in particular, really. I just needed some fresh air."

"What a coincidence, me too!"

Bilbo chuckled, his face brightening up. "Perhaps we should walk together, then?"

Poppy nodded and stepped closer to him. His presence was already comforting her, especially after the two visions and fainting spells she'd had that day. They didn't talk for a while, but the silence was nice, too, and even relaxing. Soon they approached a very steep hill; at the top of it sat a tall, bulky tree. Poppy grinned as an idea came to her head.

"Hey Bilbo, would you like to climb a tree?" She asked.

The lad's brown eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "What, me? Bilbo Baggins, climbing a TREE?"

Poppy's face fell a little. _Maybe he's not as adventurous as I thought he would be, _she thought.

Bilbo noticed her disappointment, though; he sighed, looking from her to the tree, and back again. Finally he threw his hands in the air, defeated, as another chuckle escaped his lips.

"Alright! Tree-climbing it is!" He decided. "But just you wait until the neighbors catch wind of it."

"Don't think about the neighbors," Poppy replied. "Their opinions don't matter!"

Before Bilbo could change his mind, the girl took his hand and practically towed him up the hill. She took him up to the base of the tree, where they stood silently for a moment.

"You go first!" She insisted.

"No, no, ladies first!" The lad responded teasingly.

"Alright, how about we have a little competition to see who can climb the highest?" Poppy suggested. Bilbo's eyes lit up, and he smiled in response.

"So we'll leave at the same time, then?"

"Yes! On the count of three. One..."

"Two...?"

"THREE!"

The hobbit lass and her friend instantly started climbing. Bilbo was surprisingly very lithe at the sport; he ascended with ease, as though it was something he did all the time. Poppy, on the other hand, struggled a bit. When they stopped to catch their breath, she noticed that he was one branch higher than her.

"You win!" She exclaimed.

Poppy tried to climb up to sit next to him, but she was a few inches too short. She let out a frustrated sigh as he reached down and pulled her lightly by the arms, until she could make the rest of the way herself.

"Wow! The view's amazing from up here," Poppy noted.

When she turned around to look at Bilbo, she realized that he had already been staring at her. The lad quickly averted his eyes, trying to act casual.

"Yes, it's lovely," he mumbled. "Very lovely."

Poppy searched his face, trying to decipher his notions._ I wish I knew what he was thinking!_ She thought._ I also wish I could kiss him again, but now isn't the right time._

The girl looked off to the horizon, where the sun was about to set. Out of reflex, her eyes traveled down to the ground. She yelped out in surprise, and grabbed Bilbo's arm.

"What is it?" He asked, wincing at her tight grip. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Poppy squeaked. "I just didn't realize how high off the ground we are."

Bilbo froze, then turned and gaped at her. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights!"

She felt like smacking her head repeatedly into the tree trunk. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ The girl wanted to scream. _Poppy Boffin, you're so stupid! How could you make the poor guy climb a tree, and then finally decide that you're afraid of heights!? Now he's going to assume that you're trying to pull off some kind of damsel in distress act. Great! Just great!_

Poppy let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, in my defense, I honestly didn't know."

"You didn't KNOW?"

"Forget it, okay? I'll get over it," she muttered. "In less Gandalf's still around! Maybe he could use his wizard powers to grant me wings."

"No, he left yesterday morning," Bilbo replied. "Besides, I have a plan."

Before she could ask, he turned and began climbing back down the tree. The girl watched his every move, from where he placed his feet, to the quickness of his hands. She breathed a sigh of relief once he was safely on the ground. Bilbo looked up at her with what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"Your turn!" He called. The lad soon noticed the panicked expression on her face, and added, "If you fall, I will catch you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Poppy gulped as she mimicked what he had done. Her arms and legs were shaky as she descended, one branch at a time. When she was only about seven feet away from safety, her foot slipped, and she tumbled backwards. Bilbo held out his arms, and although he DID catch her, the force of the impact sent them flying backwards down the hill. They rolled across the grass in a tangled mess, laughing until gravity finally brought them to a stop. Poppy only caught her breath for a second before cracking up again, at the sight of the poor boy, whose face was smudged with dirt.

"What? Do I look amusing?" He asked in a joking tone of voice.

The girl finally calmed down to a giggle as she pulled a stray leaf from his hair. "No, not at all!"

"Oh yeah? Well YOU look-!"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Even covered with grass and debris, Bilbo thought she looked beautiful. But he couldn't bring himself to say that. Instead he took her hand in his and rubbed her palm with his thumb. Poppy gave him a soft smile, then kissed him on the cheek. It left him feeling a little frazzled, although not nearly as much as the time before.

_That had been a real kiss, after all_, the tween reminded himself. _On the lips and everything. Oh, whatever you do, Bilbo, you must remain a gentlehobbit! No wandering thoughts! Even though it's difficult... and she looks so pretty..._

Poppy reached up and twirled a strand of his hair; she loved how curly it was. The girl suddenly realized that Bilbo was still watching her. She turned and met his eyes, waiting for him to say something.

"Ahem!" A loud voice boomed.

They broke out of their lovely moment, practically fuming at the little boy standing in front of them. It was Conrad, and he looked very smug.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Mr and Mrs Grubb sent me to come looking for you," he said nonchalantly.

"Son of a basket of fruit!" Poppy yelped, jumping to her feet.

Bilbo did the same, feeling guilty for not walking her home when he noticed that the sun was beginning to set. He gently took her hand and kissed it. The girl blushed noticeably, then bit her bottom lip in contemplation.

Conrad yelled his sister's name, forcing her to turn and follow him back up the path.

"I'll see you soon!" She called over her shoulder, while holding up her dress skirts a little to prevent tripping and making a total fool of herself.

Conrad had seen them climb the tree, and knew he just HAD to tease her about it. The lad waited for his sister to catch up, then began to sing, "Bilbo and Poppy, sittin' in a tree!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Poppy yelled, trying to cover his mouth with her hands. But he continued to sing anyways.

"K-I-S-"

"No!"

Conrad ran off, laughing at the girl's feeble attempt of chasing him.

"Alright, I give up!" She exclaimed. "You win!"

Her brother did a fist-pump as he ran through the gate and into the hobbit-hole, still chuckling.

"I take it you two had a better day?" Mrs. Grubb called from the kitchen.

Poppy nodded and plopped herself down on the couch, grinning.

"Yes, yes we did!"

* * *

**So, what do you guys think? Does it seem like I'm rushing their relationship a bit? I'm doing my best to keep Bilbo in character, too, might I add. Due to the long A/N at the beginning, I'm going to cut this one short.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review if you get the chance!**

**Ps: I'm really looking forward to the next chapter! Belladonna and Poppy have a cute conversation about Bilbo. :) Well, that's not the only thing that happens, but I can't give away everything!**

**-Swimchick**


	15. Chapter 14

**Thank you for the reviews! I tried to update sooner, really, I did! **

* * *

**Chapter 14: Elevenses**

Poppy's saying of "I'll see you soon!" had definitely been delayed; she and Conrad didn't see their friends for almost three weeks! For starters, Mr and Mrs Grubb were busy filling out the adoption paperwork, which required a bit of participation from the whole family. And as summer came rolling out from the shadows, they were also required to do extra chores, such as tending to the gardens, cleaning their hobbit-hole, fetching water, etc. On top of that, Nora helped Poppy find a job (or invent one, I should say). The "River Incident" was a story known throughout the area of Hobbiton, and many parents were beginning to fear that their children would drown, as Bilbo had. She took up the opportunity, and became a swim teacher for the younger hobbits, who came by requesting lessons on a daily basis. Whatever time Poppy had left was usually spent chatting with Malva. Her friend visited the area often, always eager to share the latest gossip and stories.

And on the plus side, she stopped having those strange "visions".

At night, once the work was done and the chores were completed, Nora, Hugo, Poppy, and Conrad would gather around the fireplace and talk. It was during that time, that the siblings began to learn more about their parents.

"Your grandparents were extremely good friends, so naturally, your parents started out that way, too," Mrs. Grubb would say. "As children they never left each other's sides. We often wondered if they were joined at the hip."

"That's really cute!" Poppy usually added.

"Not at first. They fought and bickered, arguing about everything. 'Let's go exploring today!', your father always began. 'No, we did that yesterday!' She would reply. It was quite amusing, really."

"When did it stop?" Conrad asked.

"Once they reached their early tweens," Mrs. Grubb replied. "Hugo and I were much older than them. Your parents would force us all to build mud castles together after it rained."

Mr. Grubb would clear his throat before continuing. "They got married and moved to a place called the Buckland, the day after your mother, the younger of the two, turned thirty-three."

"What were their names?"

"Timothy Boffin and Camelia Barrowes," Nora answered. "They were simple farm people , but they had hearts of gold, and definitely were-"

"-the queerest couple the Shire had ever seen!" Hugo proceeded with a chuckle. "But no one had ever seen a more perfect match."

* * *

Poppy and her brother finally received a rest day, after three whole weeks of such a busy schedule. The problem was that they didn't know what to do with so much free time. It was an extremely hot afternoon, so the hobbit lass decided to go for a swim in the Water, even though she did that everyday. She took her sweet time walking down to the river, loving the soft, warm grass between her toes. Poppy sat down and dangled her feet into the icy-coldness that she had grown so accustomed to.

Maybe I'll just take a nap instead, she thought lazily.

The tween lied down on her back with a content sigh. The sun's rays were beating down on her, making her sleepy. But before Poppy could doze off, she felt a light tap on her forehead. She opened one eye slowly, then another, and smiled up at the little girl staring down at her.

"Good afternoon, Estella!" Poppy chimed with her usual happy-go-lucky tone of voice. "How can I help you?"

Estella bashfully hid behind her curtain of long, strawberry-blonde hair. Her brown eyes met Poppy's bluish-green ones, and the nine year-old twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"I-I know you said this was your day off," she began softly. "But my Mama was hoping that I could have a quick lesson."

Poppy sat up and tapped her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. Finally she threw her hands in the air and smiled, defeated.

"Alright, I guess I can open up my schedule for you," the tween answered.

Her little friend gave a quick "hooray!" of appreciation, before going quiet again.

She got to her feet and led Estella upstream, to the area where she normally gave her swimming lessons. Poppy had chosen that part of the river, in particular, because it was shallower, and the current was rarely ever as strong. It actually seemed fairly calm that day, which would make her job much easier. She slipped into the Water first, glad that the surface only came to her lower torso, then helped Estella in after.

The little girl was extremely cautious. She whimpered a little and held onto Poppy's hand for dear life, but refused to do anything more than sit on the edge.

Finally, with a bit of encouragement, the tween had convinced Estella to jump into the Water completely. She gasped at the frigid temperatures, then smiled once she realized that she could easily stand up, and that the current wasn't strong enough to carry her off. Poppy was used to it, of course; she lounged about in the river almost every day. But most hobbits didn't particularly enjoy swimming.

The little girl giggled as she wiggled her toes in the sand, then threw her arms in the air, sending white water flying above their heads.

"Okay, the first thing I'm going to teach you, is how to float," Poppy said. "Lie on your back, just like this!"

She demonstrated what she wanted Estella to do, with the promise that she would keep one hand under her back for support. The nine-year old did as she was told, and spent a few minutes just floating, relaxing. Finally Poppy took her hand back, to prove that Estella could float on her own. They continued on with their lesson for about a half an hour, only stopping because the little girl was beginning to shiver, and didn't want to catch a cold. Estella climbed onto the riverbank and wrapped a towel around herself, proud with her accomplishments.

"You did good today, kiddo," Poppy said, from where she was treading water. "I'll have you swimming like a fish in no time!"

Estella grinned. "Thank you, Miss Poppy! Oh, and before I forget, Mama told me to tell you, that she will drop the money off at your hobbit-hole later."

"Wonderful!"

The tween realized that her student was looking at something farther downstream. A figure was reading by the Water's edge, completely oblivious to the two girls chatting nearby. Poppy followed her gaze, and smiled at who she saw.

"Are you okay walking yourself home, sweety?" She asked.

"Yes, I live nearby," Estella answered as she turned and walked away. "I can't wait to tell my brothers that I'm learning how to swim!"

"Good. Feel free to stop by when you're ready for your next lesson, okay?"

"Okay!"

The hobbit lass continued to watch the figure sitting by the riverside, whose nose was planted in a book.

_Oh Bilbo, when will you ever learn?_ She wondered.

Poppy let the current carry her downstream. She swam underwater the entire time, and was careful not to let her friend see her. She stopped just in front of him, but stayed beneath the surface. Bilbo was obviously lost in whichever world his book had taken him; his unsuspecting behavior would work perfectly for her plan. Poppy waited until he put the novel down on the grass to examine his surroundings. Just when Bilbo was about to start reading again, she raise one hand above the surface of the Water and gave the hobbit tween a small splash.

"Gah!" He gasped. "What on earth..!?"

Poppy splashed him again, this time catching his attention in her direction. He leaned forward to the top of the river and inspected it, trying to locate his attacker. But all he saw was white water and sand. Once his face was directly above the surface, Poppy pushed up from the bottom and yelled "SURPRISE!".

Poor Bilbo screamed and flew backwards onto the grass. His friend was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe, making it a struggle to return to the side of the river.

"You're just as bad as your brother, do you know that?" The lad exclaimed, clutching his book to his chest as if it was the only sane thing in the world.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't... pass up... the opportunity!" Poppy gasped out in between fits of laughter.

When she had finally calmed down and gained some composure, she climbed out of the Water, wrapped a towel around her shoulders, and began to wring out her hair. The lass noticed that Bilbo was examining his novel with great care. She sat down next to him, forcing a more serious expression on her face.

"Aww, did I get your book wet?" Poppy asked, concerned.

The lad sighed, and shot her a small smile. "No, I believe it has survived... For now."

"Good. So you forgive me, then?"

She batted her long eyelashes until he relented. Bilbo chuckled as he stared off into the river, which had a serene manner about it. "Of course. Now that I think about it, it actually WAS pretty funny. And I guess it was my fault for reading by the Waterside again... Nothing good ever comes of that."

"Exactly!" Poppy said, grinning. "I think you should let me teach you how to swim."

Bilbo tried to cover his face with the book, so that she couldn't see him blush.

"M-m-me? Swimming? For FUN?" He stuttered. "N-no, I don't think that would be good. I mean, it would be good in the long run, but not for the time being. The only time water and I get along, is at bath time. Other than that I prefer to keep my f-feet on the ground, so-"

"Bilbo," Poppy said his name sternly. "All you have to say is 'no thank you', if you don't think it would be a good idea. I understand."

The lad looked relieved, but he felt guilty for the sad expression on her face.

_Good going, Baggins! Now you've hurt her feelings,_ he thought to himself, with a mental face palm._ Just be yourself, and stop rambling!_

"Would you like to come over to Bag End for elevenses?" He blurted.

Poppy's face lit up instantly. She loved the Baggins's house, and even his parents, too. "Yes! That sounds nice. I just need to run home and change first."

"Me, too," Bilbo answered, pointing to his shirt, which was soaked thanks to Poppy splashing him.

"Again, I'm sorry for that."

The lad rolled his eyes playfully as he turned and headed in the opposite direction. "No you aren't! You thought it was hilarious."

Poppy chuckled. "You know me well already!"

Once she was sure that Bilbo wasn't looking, the tween bolted across the grass in a very unladylike manner, practically tripping over her own feet in the process. She couldn't help but fling herself through the door of her hobbit-hole, and in doing so she almost slipped on the pools of water created by her soaking-wet hair, clothes, and feet. Conrad, who had been reading by the entrance, didn't even flinch upon hearing his sister noisily run past him and down the hall.

"Estella's mom dropped off your pay!" He called, not even looking up from his book.

Poppy skidded into her room and shuffled through her dresser drawers, pulling out the first dress that caught her eye. It was mostly a pale yellow, with a cream blouse and lacing at the end. She normally didn't worry about her appearance, but this wasn't the average occasion. She wanted Bilbo's parents to like her.

"Poppy, did you hear me?" Conrad asked, after a long pause.

"What? Oh, yeah, the money. Cool," his sister mumbled absent-mindedly, while combing out her hair.

"She paid you a lot more than usual, too."

"Really? I wonder why."

"Who knows?" The boy said. "You should go thank her in person."

"I can't right now. Bilbo invited me over for elevenses."

Conrad raised his eyes up to finally look at his sister. He gave a quick nod of approval, then returned to his book. "Cool beans. See ya' later."

Poppy ruffled his hair as she walked out, chuckling. "Thanks, little bro. I can always rely on your words of wisdom and amazing insight."

"Yeah yeah, what would you do without me? Now go, shoo! Elevenses doesn't last all day."

* * *

Belladonna, who had been setting the table, looked up with a smile as her only son padded through the door.

"Welcome back, dear! You're just in time to help-" she began, but stopped short once she saw the lad walk in. "Bilbo! Really? ANOTHER almost-ruined shirt?"

"Yes, well, I was reading by the Water, and-"

"Again? After what happened last time?"

"-I got splashed."

He decided not to tell the whole story, with worry that his friend would be ridiculed for her little joke. His mother nodded, apparently okay with the answer.

"Alright, fine. Go wash up for elevenses, please. Then you can help me set the table," She said.

"I invited Poppy over."

"Good! I've always liked her."

"Will Dad be joining us?"

"No, he went out into town this afternoon. It'll just be the three of us," the woman answered. "Now go change, and hurry! She'll probably be here any minute."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang just after Bilbo left to go and put dry clothes on. Belladonna wiped her hands on her apron and scurried off excitedly to greet her guest.

"Hello, Poppy!" The woman chimed as she swung the door open. "You look lovely! Please, please, come in, and make yourself at home!"

Poppy gave her thanks and skipped off into the kitchen, glad that her hair had dried on the walk there. Belladonna went back to counting out three of every plate, silverware, and napkin needed to set the table.

"My son should be out soon," she said. "He went to go change."

"Bilbo didn't have to do that! I'm not even that dressed up," The 22-year-old replied. "Would you like some help setting the table?"

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you!" Belladonna answered. "Anyways, the lad came home with his new shirt entirely soaked!"

"Oh. Did he say what happened?" Poppy began to lay out the dishes and mugs as she spoke.

"He was reading by the Water again, and something splashed him," the woman said, shaking her head and chuckling. "But he's always been such a silly boy, ever since he was young."

"What do you mean?"

"Bilbo was much more like I was, when he was younger. He would run off at the peak of dawn in search of Elves and Wargs, and go on adventures in the Eastfarthing woods. Bungo always got so mad at the poor lad, for coming home late, and trailing mud and twigs into Bag End. But he had so many stories to tell! I swear, a child's imagination has no limits," Belladonna explained. "Even as a baby, he was the most curious little thing. Bilbo loved watching fireflies at night, and once he learned to walk, good gracious! No one could catch him! My husband and I spent countless hours chasing him around this hobbit-hole, although no one could hardly keep up with him."

Poppy giggled at the thought.

"Ah, but he's changed over the years. Bungo takes pride in the respect his side of the family has upheld, and I can't blame him for that. But I was beginning to fear that my son had lost all the Took in him. After all, the taking of a last name doesn't necessarily have to say anything about your character, right? I can only hope that my husband doesn't brainwash all the curiosity and adventure out of the poor lad, before his childhood is even over."

The 22-year-old, who had been arranging the silverware in a very precise manner, paused to look up Bilbo's mother. "What changed?"

"Pardon?"

"You said, 'I WAS beginning to fear'. What changed that?"

Belladonna stood there, blinking at her in confusion, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well YOU came along, of course! He's been different ever since, and for the better, might I add. Even Gandalf noticed! Many people have, actually."

Poppy's face flushed a little. "H-how so?"

"For starters, he's been much bolder, and more outgoing. Bungo just about fainted with surprise when he heard that his son had run off into the forest to go searching for you. And this morning, when he claimed that he'd been 'splashed', I knew something else had happened. Then I heard that little girl down the street-Estella, her name was?- telling her brothers that you'd swam up to him underwater and surprised him, while he was reading."

"And you're not... angry, about that?"

"Good heavens, no! The exact opposite, in fact! I'm so glad he's finally found someone like you, dear."

Just as their conversation was coming to an end, and Poppy was putting the finishing touches on the table, Bilbo himself came walking into the kitchen. He was wearing brown trousers and a white shirt, with lighter brown suspenders. The lad stopped short upon seeing that she had already arrived, and smiled shyly.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," he said, directed more towards Poppy than his mother.

"You definitely took your sweet time, son," Belladonna commented teasingly.

"I didn't mind," the 22-year-old added. "Your mother and I were just talking."

Bilbo couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Good grief! And what about, may I ask?"

"You," Poppy answered with another giggle as she remembered the story Belladonna had told her; she decided to leave out the other part, for obvious reasons. "When you were little."

"Alright, Mother, what exactly did you tell her?" The lad pressed, his cheeks warming. "Nothing too embarrassing, I presume?"

"No, not at all!" Belladonna replied, winking at Poppy. "But there's still hope! I could always tell her about the time you thought you were being chased by a Warg-"

"Mother, please, do not-"

-and it turned out to be someone's dog." The woman finished with a short laugh. "But he had half the Shire running around in mad chaos!"

Bilbo, who had taken a seat next to Poppy at the table, groaned and buried his head in his arms. His face reddened even more so, and the hobbit lass could only pat his shoulder and try not to giggle again.

"Are you done now, Mother?" He asked.

"Only if you volunteer to pass out the food!" Belladonna decided. "What do you think, Poppy? Shall I continue?"

The lass was extremely amused with their growing conversation, and half-hoped that she would. She enjoyed hearing about Bilbo as a child, especially since she couldn't remember her own time as a youngster. But before Poppy could reply, her friend whispered "Please say 'no'!" in her ear.

"I think he's been tortured enough for one afternoon," the 22-year-old called out.

"Alright, if you say so."

Belladonna carried over a tray of stuffed mushrooms, and passed them out swiftly. The three hobbits took a few bites in silence, only pausing to drink from their mugs of water.

"You know, Mother, it's a good thing that you were given such a brave child!" Bilbo said after a while. "Who else would kill the spiders around here?"

"Ugh, certainly not me!" The hobbit woman answered. "I despise those scary little insects."

"Me, too," Poppy groaned with a visible shudder.

The lad puffed his chest out proudly as he finished his meal, feeling quite manly in that moment. Once the stuffed mushrooms were gone, they downed their water and helped wash the dishes. By then it was only about eleven-thirty. Belladonna excused herself to go outside and tend to her garden, leaving the hobbit tweens alone once again.

"What do you suppose we do now?" Bilbo wondered out loud.

Poppy tapped her chin in thought until an idea came to her head. She ran down to the study with her friend following close behind. The lass picked two pieces of paper off the desk, as well as a large book, and a traveling quill.

"Is it alright if we use these?" She asked, pointing to the supplies she'd gathered.

"Sure, but whatever for?"

"I'll show you!"

Poppy lead the way out the beautiful green door of Bag End, and down the steps. Bilbo opened the gate and held it open for her, which she thanked him for. After that they continued down the Hill, to a small grove of trees by the Water. She plopped herself down in a bed of daisies and patted the space in front of her.

"What are you up to, Poppy?" Bilbo asked, sitting down where she wanted him to.

"Okay, stay just like that!" The lass said, ignoring his question. She laid the book on her lap, placed one piece of paper on top of it, and gently touched the quill to the parchment. "I'm going to draw you."

"Oh no..."

"I'll do my best, okay? Even though I'm not much of an artist."

Bilbo leaned his back against a nearby tree and gazed around the clearing, trying not to blush as Poppy studied him. She bit her bottom lip in concentration, and often wrinkled her nose when the quill wouldn't cooperate.

"How's it looking?" He asked once a good deal of time had passed.

"One moment, please," the hobbit lass replied. "I just need a minute more... and... Aha! Done."

She tentatively handed Bilbo the paper. He chuckled as he looked it over, one hand on his chin and the other holding the drawing.

"Is this what I really look like?" The lad wondered.

"No, not exactly," Poppy answered. "I'm not very good at drawing. I believe it doesn't, ummm... do you... justice."

"Actually, it's not half bad," he commented. "I wonder...?"

Bilbo took the book and quill, which she had placed on the ground beside her, as well as another piece of paper. Poppy tried to protest, and even take the blank parchment away, but he leaned back and held it up, out of her reach.

"Nope! I let you draw me, now it's my turn to draw YOU!" The lad said, grinning.

His friend have a quick nod. "Alright, fair enough. Go ahead."

Poppy shifted so that she was sitting cross-legged in the bed of field daisies, and began picking at the grass.

"Thank you for inviting me," she commented softly, trying to stay as still as possible. "It's been fun. And the stuffed mushrooms were wonderful."

"You're welcome to stop by anytime, you know," Bilbo answered without looking away from his artwork in process. "My parents really like you already."

"And what about you? Do you still like me? Or do I annoy you beyond all sanity?"

The lad paused. He gazed up at her fondly, his brown eyes sparkling. "You could never annoy me, Poppy. I happen to like you very much."

"Really?" She hoped that she didn't sound too excited, or relieved, or both at the same time, if possible. "I like you a lot, too."

There was another moment of silence. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she felt extremely warm and giddy inside. The hobbit lass focused on Bilbo, giggling at the facial expressions he often made when concentrating. HIS drawing was taking much longer than hers, and Poppy had a feeling that he was a better artist, by far.

"Let's see here, just one more finishing touch...," Bilbo said at last. "It's hard to get the eyes just right... Aaand, done!"

He handed the drawing over, and she gazed at it curiously. Sure, it wasn't a masterpiece, but it was obviously created by a skillful hand. She didn't fight back the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. The girl in the drawing wasn't how she saw herself. Her hair seemed to flow just right, her nose didn't stick out as she often pictured it, and her eyes gleamed.

" The drawing actually looks kind of...pretty" Poppy whispered.

"It doesn't compare to the original," Bilbo replied. Then, once he realized what he had said, the lad coughed nervously into one hand, and averted his eyes to the ground.

_Keep going!_ The Took in him practically screamed.

"Because you are, in fact, very pretty." He continued. "And smart... and funny.. and, uh, many other things, too."

Poppy shook her head in disbelief. She'd never thought of herself that way, and couldn't understand how anyone could see her like that. But his words made her feel warm and fuzzy inside again, and she found herself grinning like a fool.

"Do you like it?" Bilbo asked, trying to decide if she was disappointed or not. "I did my best, but I've never been that good at drawing people, mostly scenery."

"I love it, thank you," she answered. "And I know you shrug this off every time I tell you, but you're a wonderful person, Bilbo."

As they started to walk back towards Bag End, the hobbit tweens heard a shrill screeching sound, heading towards them. A boy was running for dear life, with a little girl not far behind.

"Help help help help help help!" The boy screamed.

He spun around and hid behind Poppy and Bilbo, using them as a wall.

"What's wrong, Con?" His sister asked.

"She won't leave me alone!" The 12-year-old gasped. "And when I tried to make a run for it, she chased me!"

"Who?"

"Estella, THAT'S who!" Conrad squinted his eyes as he stared off in the direction he had come. "Son of a biscuit, she's coming! Okay, okay, if she comes this way, tell her I went home!"

Bilbo and Poppy nodded in unison. They watched the boy sprint off towards Bywater Path, kicking up dust as he run. Soon enough Estella followed. She skidded to a stop in front of the two hobbit tweens, saying "Which way, friends?" once she caught her breath.

"Bywater Path, probably Marcho's house," Poppy answered. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" The little girl laughed over her shoulder and continued her chase.

They watched her go for a few minutes, before turning and continuing up the path. Bilbo shook his head, causing Poppy to raise her eyebrows.

"What?" She asked. "What did I do?"

"Oh, nothing, really," he replied. "I just thought it was fairly amusing, how quickly you turned Estella on poor Conrad. I didn't think you would do that."

"Yeah, there's a lot that you don't know about me, and a lot I don't know about myself."

Poppy suddenly stepped on one of her own feet and stumbled across the walkway a little. If the lad hadn't caught her arm, she would've gone flying.

Bilbo couldn't help but tease her a little. "Well, at least I know you're clumsy."

"Hush up."

* * *

**So before I end this, I have a quick question to ask. Please answer via review or PM if you get the chance; your opinions will help me with chapters in the future.**

**Here it is:**

**What would you think about Bilbo going on the adventure earlier in his life? So, instead of him being in his 50's, Bilbo would be in his 30's.**

**Please let me know! Thanks for reading!**

**-Swimchick**


	16. Chapter 15

**Thank you, everyone who answered my question from the last chapter. :) That will really help me out with future updates. In other news, this story officially as over 2,000 views! I wasn't going to post a new chapter until tomorrow, but I thought I'd celebrate by updating a day early. Sound good? Cool beans.**

**Aaand The Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit does not belong to me. I'm just a fan!**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Bro-Time**

* * *

A few days passed before Bilbo saw Poppy again. That time period seemed to drag on beyond belief, for it had become almost impossible to think about anything BUT her. Whenever he left his hobbit-hole, the tween couldn't help but hope with a passion that she would appear nearby. Whenever his mind wandered, it wandered to her, and what she was currently doing, or thinking. He wanted to visit Poppy several times, but his mother would scold him, saying, "give the poor girl some space! You just saw her two, maybe three days ago!". The new feelings he was experiencing frustrated the poor hobbit -lad; he knew that he cared greatly for Poppy, and his affections grew every time he saw her. But would it become something more?

Was it destined to become LOVE?

That was what he contemplated on that beautiful, late-June morning. His room, located on the left side of Bag End, had a wonderful view of Belladonna's garden. Bilbo loved flowers, and summertime was perfect for planting new ones, and watching the older ones blossom again. He lied in bed, staring out the window, propped up by one elbow, simply admiring the colorful array that had become of Hobbiton's rolling, luscious, green hills. Flowers, flowers galore!

Or maybe the scenery always looked that beautiful, and he just hasn't noticed because he hadn't been that happy and carefree before. Without thinking, Bilbo reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out the drawing she had given him. A smile flirted with the corners of his lips as he studied it, thinking about her. Call it cliché, but that's what his feelings for Poppy were doing to him. Sometimes the lad seemed to be a completely different hobbit, and that was mostly a good thing. On mornings like that one, however, it deprived Bilbo of any chance of thinking straight.

Suddenly his parents' voices filtered down the main tunnel of Bag End, pulling him out of his thoughts. The tween sighed as he got out of bed and stretched his arms a little. He tiptoed over to the door and pressed one of his ears to it, straining to hear their conversation.

"But we still have three whole months until the party!" Bungo exclaimed.

"So? The folks around here prefer early notice, which means we need to send the invitations out soon," came his wife's frustrated reply.

Bilbo chuckled softly to himself. Belladonna had a confident way of speaking that portrayed her similarily-confident opinions. Anyone who didn't agree with her was always wrong, and everyone on her side was always right. Bungo ceased to realize that, though; any disagreeing with her would never get him anywhere. But did the lad's father care? Absolutely not! It only made him that much angrier.

"And how do you plan on delivering so many letters by the end of the month?" Bungo asked.

"Oh, there are plenty of youngsters that would be willing to help us get them to the post office, don't you think?"

Bilbo pulled away from the door and quickly got dressed, before exiting the safety of his room. He took a detour to one of the many pantries, grabbed a muffin, and ate it on his way to the kitchen, where the voices were coming from. On the dinner table sat the largest pile of envelopes he'd ever seen. The tween's parents quickly stopped arguing and looked up at him once his presence was known. On a normal day, such cross conversations would make him worry. But Bilbo was far too happy that morning to focus on the negatives of life.

"Don't mind me, I'm just passing through," the 24-year-old said nonchalantly.

Belladonna greeted him with a quick smile. "Good morning, dear. Did you enjoy sleeping in?"

"Yes, very much so. I also noticed that the garden is looking particularly nice this year," he answered.

"Really? I haven't noticed," his mother paused to take a sip of her tea, and eyeball Bungo with an undefinable look. "Although I recall one of the neighbors telling me that our petunias are dying out. If I give you money, son, will you go into town and buy some more flowers to replace them?"

"Sure! I'll even make a stop at the post office while I'm there."

"Will you be able to carry all of those birthday party invitations by yourself?"

Bilbo shuffled over to the living room and retrieved his pipe as he talked."No, but I'm sure I'll find SOMEONE willing to help."

Belladonna and Bungo gave their thanks, and watched him walk out the door before going silent. The lad plopped himself down on the front lawn, glad that he had the garden to distract him from his feelings. He lit the pipe carefully and tried to focus on flowers. But whenever his mind wandered, it always seemed to direct itself back to a certain hobbit-lass his age.

An idea finally materialized in his brain, and Bilbo was so excited about the sudden thought that he nearly dropped the pipe.

"A-ha! I've got it!" He said to himself. "Poppies! Poppies would look PERFECT in the garden!"

He let the hypothesis float around for a bit; it took a while for him to realize WHY he'd chosen those flowers, and when he finally did, Bilbo buried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated groan.

_Why can't I stop thinking about her!?_ He wanted to cry out. In fact, he almost did; perhaps someone would hear, and come explain everything to him. Finally the lad gave up and puffed quietly on his pipe. He tried to make a smoke ring, but it came out a little mangled and lopsided-looking.

Bilbo closed his eyes and let the sun's rays warm his skin. _Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure this out eventually. After all, feelings come from the heart, and if I follow my heart, I should be able to find out why I'm feeling this way. Right? Right!_

* * *

Poppy yawned as she trudged into the parlor. The smell of breakfast wafted down the hall, and her stomach growled in response. Normally Mrs. Grubb made her help with the cooking, as the tween was not very skilled with such matters, and needed the practice. Her meals often came out horribly undercooked, overcooked, or having strange, unenjoyable flavors. Poppy sat down at the table and laid her head in her arms with a sleepy moan. She looked up just as Conrad was coming in after; his hair was a tangled mess, and he still wore his sleeping clothes. On top of that the boy had never been a morning person, so when Nora address him, he only gave a grunt of annoyance.

"Hello hello hello!" Mr. Grubb called cheerfully, while taking his usual seat at the end of the table. The older hobbit had a small stack of letters in one hand, which he sifted through as he waited for his wife to finish cooking. "And how are my people this fine summer morning?"

Conrad grunted again, and Poppy lifted her head to give him a small, yet half-asleep smile.

"Give them a chance to wake up, Hugo!" Nora called from the kitchen. "Not everyone can be as chipper as you before second breakfast."

"I fail to see why! The weather's gorgeous out there."

Mrs. Grubb strolled into the dining room and set platefuls of food in front of them. There were eggs, black pudding, bacon rashers, buttered rolls, and even cups of tea. All four hobbits were practically drooling by the time they got to start eating, although Hugo kept giving his adopted daughter looks of discernment.

"What?" Poppy asked cautiously. "Did I grow an extra eye or something?"

Mr. Grubb shook his head. "No, I was just curious as to why you weren't helping out in the kitchen this morning. I know Nora's made it a habit of teaching you lately."

"I wanted to let her sleep in," his wife replied, slapping his arm lightly. "Stop pestering the poor girl and let her eat!"

"Okay, okay, it was just a harmless curiosity. I didn't mean anything by it. But you know, Poppy, one day you're going to be married, and your husband is going to want you to cook every now-and-then."

"In less she's married to Bilbo," Conrad added with a cheeky smile at his sister. "He'll probably want to do ALL of the cooking."

Poppy stared down into her plate, frustrated as her face began to warm. Thankfully none of the adults understood the hint, but still, the very thought of him mentioning her more-than-a-crush out loud was horrifying. "I've gotten better. Just the other day I made a whole pork pie by myself!"

"Yes, but it was like biting into a rock," the boy replied. "No one could eat it."

"Did I ask for your constructive criticism? No, I did not."

"Yeesh, SOMEONE got up at the wrong side of the bed."

"What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on, it's pretty obvious. You've got dark circles under your eyes and everything."

Mrs. Grubb looked up from her food and nodded in agreement. "He's right. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Of course!"

Well, that was only partially true. She'd probably only received five hours of rest or so. Her mind kept her awake as she debated any future relationship growth with Bilbo. Sure, Poppy's little crush seemed to be blossoming into something more, but did he feel the same way? It was hard to tell, and she felt cautious about letting herself go along the lines of, say falling in love, in less she knew for sure. The lass didn't want to get hurt, or worse, ruin their friendship.

Was it worth the chance?

The night before was the night when she decided that she would follow her heart, and her heart was feeling pretty crazy about Bilbo. Poppy thought about him more often than not, and whenever she replayed their time together, she got that warm, fuzzy, happy feeling inside again. She wanted to visit him, but sadly chores and her swimming lessons did not permit that.

_Is this what it feels like to fall in love?_ The lass couldn't help but wonder.

Once breakfast was done, and the dishes were cleared and cleaned, the four hobbits went their separate directions to get ready. By the time Poppy had re-entered the parlor, Conrad was sitting backwards on one of the armchairs, apparently trying to look out the window without being seen from the other side. His sister crouched down and mimicked him.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"Hiding!" Her brother answered sharply. "She's been out there for, like, ten minutes, and I don't think she's going to leave!"

"Who?"

That was a stupid question, but she had to ask it anyway. Poppy risked a peek out the window to see Estella sitting cross-legged about twenty-five feet away from their hobbit-hole, picking field daisies out of the ground. She looked fairly content and nonchalant, and often casted her eyes in their direction, as if she knew that they were avoiding her.

"This is ridiculous," Poppy decided. "Are you afraid of her?"

"Me? Afraid of a GIRL? Pssht! No way! I'm not afraid of ANYTHING!"

"That's just your ego talking. The other day I saw you flip out when that bumble bee flew into your room-"

"Did you see the size of that thing? It was the mother of all bees, and it was out to assassinate me!"

"Nonetheless, you really should go talk to her." Poppy pulled him up off the armchair and half-dragged him down the all. The boy protested the entire way, but eventually relented.

"Ugh, I don't WANT to!"

"I don't care!"

The second Conrad stepped out the front door, Estella's eyes lit up. She ran across the lawn and gave him a hug, smiling the entire time. He didn't return it, but instead let his arms hang awkwardly at his sides. The boy mouthed "help me!" to his sister, who merely shook her head with a smug look on her face.

"Conrad!" Estella squealed. "I waited for you out front! Did you see me? I was-"

"Yeah, yeah, I saw you," came his annoyed reply.

"Goodie! Do you wanna come play with me and my friends?"

"Play WHAT?"

"Whatever you want, silly! Tag, Hide-And-Go-Seek, anything, really!"

"Sorry, I can't," Conrad said. "Not today, anyway. I was going to... um... hang out with my sister."

"Oh, no problem! There's always another time," Estella wasn't even fazed by the boy's bad mood towards her. She hugged Poppy before skipping off back towards her own home, waving all the while.

"You shouldn't have lied to her," the 22-year-old reminded her brother as they began walking down Bagshot Row.

"I know, but she gives me the creeps. She's turned into my stalker."

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Someday you'll see her differently, and you'll thank me for getting you to be nicer to her."

"Sure, sure. But until then, I'd like to avoid her as much as possible."

**...**

She decided to go and explain her feelings to Malva, hoping that her friend could share some insight, and advice. But in order to get to Bywater Path, they needed to cross Bagshot Row. Her heart started fluttering beyond control in her chest as Bilbo's hobbit-hole loomed into view.

"Where are we going?" Conrad asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know what YOU'RE doing, but I'M hanging out with Malva today."

"Can I come with you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we need to do some girl talk."

"So you're just gonna ditch me?"

Poppy didn't answer. Instead she found herself humming, and watching Bag End. Soon enough they reached the front gate. Conrad poked his sister in the shoulder and pointed to the front lawn, where Bilbo was lounging and smoking a pipe. She couldn't help but wonder if he was a bit too young for that, but he WAS almost twenty-five, so she didn't question it further. He didn't seem to notice them passing by; the lad stared up at the clouds, apparently lost in thought.

"Bilbo!" Poppy called with her hands cupped around her mouth. "Bilbo, over here!"

He almost dropped his pipe in shock, and she felt guilty for startling him. But her more-than-a-crush jumped to his feet and met them at the gate, looking flustered.

"Oh hello, hello!" The lad greeted back with a smile at Poppy. "What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you today."

Conrad rolled his eyes upon realizing that the two hobbit tweens were focused on each other, and totally leaving him out of the conversation.

"Yeah, I was just passing through, and thought I'd say 'hi'," his sister answered. "What are you up to today?"

"Ah, my mother wanted me to go into town and pick up a few things."

This caught the 12-year-old's attention.

"Can I come?" Conrad asked.

Bilbo looked a little taken aback. He exchanged a curious glance at Poppy, who shrugged and seemed just as surprised by the question.

"Come on, it will be fun!" The boy said. "You know, a little bit of bro-time."

"Well, I DO need help bringing all of those party invitations to the post office," Bilbo replied. "Sure, I don't see why not! The company would be nice."

Poppy ruffled Conrad's hair. "Cool! Be good, okay, Con? Listen to Bilbo, and be on your best behavior."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So where are these invitations at?" Her brother said.

"On the dining room table," the 24-year-old answered. "My dad left a couple of bags in the kitchen to put them in."

"Alright, I'll get started."

Bilbo waited until Conrad had left, before leaning over the fence and giving Poppy a quick kiss on the cheek. He tried to make it seem completely normal, as though he'd kissed her millions of times before. But both of the young hobbits turned and went in their opposite directions with rosy faces and giddy smiles.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Bilbo and Conrad were walking out of the front door, with bags of letters slung over their shoulders. The 24-year-old carried three pennies in his pocket, enough to pay for the flowers. For a while they walked in silence, often pausing to wave "hello" to the neighbors that passed by. Conrad was especially glad that Estella hadn't returned to pester him again. Finally, as a conversation-starter, he decided to ask the question that had been on his mind for weeks.

"So what exactly is going on between you and my sister?" the younger boy wondered out loud.

Bilbo cleared his throat nervously, and adjusted the strap of his bag up higher on his shoulders. This would be the first time that he'd talked about his feelings out loud.

"Come on, you can tell me," Conrad pressed. "We're bros, right?"

"I'm not exactly sure where to begin," Bilbo replied.

"Well it's obvious that you're sweet on her. I just wanted to know if it's reached anything beyond that."

The hobbit tween stopped in his tracks. Was Conrad asking wether or not he loved Poppy?

"I-I don't know for sure," he answered. "I'm not even sure if she feels the same way, to be honest."

"Oh, don't worry about that! She definitely does."

Bilbo hesitated, trying to find the right thing to say. Conrad could just be telling him what he wanted to hear. No, he wouldn't believe it until Poppy told him herself.

"I know you two have kissed," the boy continued. "And I can see it, when you look at each other, that things are starting to get more serious. I think my sister's holding back because she doesn't want to get hurt, or lose your friendship. You should tell her how you feel."

Bilbo chuckled, and continued walking down the road. "It's not that easy."

"MAKE it easy, then! Do you really want to let fear get in the way of what could be? I mean, would you rather stay friends because you 'kept it safe', or take the risk, and possibly become something more?"

"Did you tag along for the sole purpose of sharing relationship advice, Con?"

"No, I really did want to hang out with you," the 12-year-old answered. "We COULD be brothers someday, after all. And besides, I think you're pretty cool."

Bilbo smiled. "Yeah? I think you're pretty cool, too."

Even though he only had the slightest idea of what "cool" meant in Conrad's vocabulary; he'd have to ask Poppy later.

They continued on until the road passed the main center of Hobbiton, where people did most of their shopping. Some citizens walked around with pigs tied to ropes, while others sold animals, such as chickens, from inside of pens. It was the usual hustle and bustle that Bilbo had grown quite used to, but to Conrad, the very sight amazed him.

"Wow! These guys have EVERYTHING!" The boy exclaimed. He often stopped to look around, and in turn would have to run to catch up with the hobbit tween again.

"The post office is just over here," Bilbo called over his shoulder, pointing to a building ahead made of wood. Conrad nodded and followed suit.

The hobbit behind the front counter raised his head upon seeing them walk in. Bilbo gave a little wave before plopping the bagful of envelopes down on the ground, with Conrad doing the same.

"My mother said she'd pay you the next time she came into town," he said.

"Sure, sure, no problem," the older guy answered. The Bagginses were a very respectable family, so he trusted that the lad was telling the truth, as he was. He nodded his head in Conrad's direction. "Who's your little friend?

"I'm Poppy's sister!" The boy replied.

It took a while for the post office-man to recall who that was. "Ah, yes! I recall Belladonna mentioning a 'Poppy' the last time I saw her. Are you and the lass close, Bilbo?"

Conrad elbowed his friend and chuckled. "See, dude? I'm not the ONLY one who's noticed!"

The 24-year-old ducked his head as he turned and walked out the door, careful to keep everyone from seeing him blush.

"Thank you, Mr. Hayward," he called.

"No problem, Bilbo, you dog, you!" The man's laughter soon faded behind them.

"So what else is there to do?" Conrad asked once they were back out in the marketplace.

"I need to pick up some flowers for the garden."

"Do you have any in mind?"

The tween didn't answer. Instead he directed him towards the local blacksmith's center of the market, where swords and fine weaponry were being sold.. Not that many hobbits purchased them, of course. In fact, no one could quite understand why the town even HAD a blacksmith.

With Conrad distracted, he swiftly turned and padded back to the flower booth, run by a stout, elderly hobbit named Mrs. Dewfoot. She grinned at Bilbo as he approached her, all three pennies in his hand.

"Good afternoon, dear!" The woman said. "Off to do some shopping, eh?"

"Errands, more like it," the lad answered. "Can I get twelve pots of poppies, please? The petunias have died out already."

"Shame, shame. They were so pretty, too!" Mrs. Dewfoot commented. "But poppies are lovely all the same. And if you don't mind my saying, I don't recal you or your mother purchasing poppies for your garden before."

_These people are much too perceptive!_ "I'm trying something new."

The woman took the money and gave him the flowers in return. Just as Bilbo was putting them carefully into his bag, he noticed Conrad in his peripheral vision, and instantly regretted it. The boy was holding a very long, shiny sword over his head, and the blacksmith kept showing him how to swing it around. Bilbo practically threw the flowers into his backpack, and ran over to put a stop to it.

_He's going to hurt someone, or worse, himself!_ The tween screamed in his mind. _And Poppy would kill me if I let something happen!_

**_..._**

"Let's not tell your sister about that, okay?" Bilbo said, referring to the close call with the sword. It had been much too heavy for Poppy's brother, and if he hadn't gotten there in time, the boy would've cut his own head off. Now he and Conrad were kneeled down in the garden, planting the new plots of flowers.

The boy chuckled. "Isn't it a little, oh, I dunno, ungentle-hobbit like to keep secrets from your girlfriend?"

Bilbo sighed; he got to his knees and brushed the soil off of his hands, wondering how many times people would assume that. "I haven't asked her to go steady yet."

"Key word 'yet', right?"

"Stop trying to change the subject, please. I just really don't want her to find out that I let you touch sharp weapons."

"What, you don't think I could handle them?"

"Poppy said she saw you swinging around a CHEESEKNIFE the other day, Con, and that you almost stabbed Mrs. Grubb as she was walking by."

"But with a little practice-?"

"Nope!"

"Aw, come on!"

"Still a 'nope'!"

"Darn," Conrad grumbled. "Well, at least I tried!"

It was almost sunset at that point. The sky was lit up with an array of oranges, yellows, and pinks, and the clouds were gathering by the horizon. Bilbo retrieved his pipe and sat down by the door, with the 12-year-old beside him. He tried practicing his smoke rings again, but they still came out a bit deformed. Conrad was watching him with a look of wonder, and his eyes widened as though he were watching a show.

"Can I try?" He asked.

"Sorry, Con, but you're about ten years too young." Bilbo replied

"Heck yeah!"

The two hobbit lads looked up in surprise as a familiar face was weaving her way through the gate, and began skipping towards them. That last comment had belonged to her, and Conrad groaned, slightly annoyed by it.

"But I never get to do ANYTHING!" The boy protested.

"You'll have your freedom, once you're older," Poppy answered. "Were you good for Bilbo today?"

Conrad nodded, which was followed by a sleepy yawn. "Mmmm-hmmm."

His sister helped him to his feet and pointed him towards their hobbit-hole down the path. She stayed behind, though, and sat down next to Bilbo while watching her brother walk home.

"So... Ummmm..," she began quietly. "What is it like to smoke?"

This definitely caught the 24-year-old by surprise. He puffed out one last mangled-looking ring, then turned to gaze at her curiously. Most hobbit women avoided pipes as much as possible; not many we're seen smoking, or with an interest in it.

"Can I try?" She continued. "I'm 22, doesn't that make me old enough?"

Bilbo shrugged and handed her the pipe. Poppy took it cautiously, not sure what to do. She decided to go with trial and error, and reluctantly breathed in the strange-smelling vapor. The flavor was so strong that she coughed a little, but after one more puff, she got used to it. Her friend was studying her as though she'd grown an extra arm.

Finally Poppy got an idea. She inhaled quite deeply, and to Bilbo's dismay, blew out a perfect smoke ring! His jaw dropped, causing her to giggle.

"What?" She asked. "You can't do that?"

"Most certainly not!" Bilbo replied with a chuckle of disbelief. "Although I've definitely tried!"

"How queer!" Poppy laughed. "Beginner's luck? Or do I just have mad skills?"

"I-I'm not sure, to tell you the truth."

She handed back the pipe and gave him a quick hug good-bye, then turned and padded off back down to Bagshot row. But before the lass was officially through the gate, she paused, and looked back at him.

"I really like your new flowers, by the way," Poppy said with a wink

This flustered Bilbo so much that, for a second, he couldn't come up with an answer, and once he finally did, it came out more like a stutter. "Y-yes, they're very pretty."

They stood there, staring at each other in silence. Finally he got an idea. The tween jumped to his feet and ran inside, barely tossing an "excuse me!" over his shoulder. At last he returned, that time with an envelope in his hand. He'd taken it out of the letters he'd meant to bring to the post office. Bilbo handed it to her swiftly, a nervous smile on his face.

"It's an invitation to my birthday party," he said. "I wanted to give it to you personally, in person."

"That's so sweet of you, thanks!" Poppy answered. "I can't wait!"

Bilbo waved and watched her go home, a slight pang of longing in his heart. The 24-year-old had a plan, one that sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach, but one that he couldn't wait to put into action. "Neither can I."


	17. Chapter 16

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm sad to say that this chapter turned out to be significantly shorter than the previous ones, but I promise that the next one will be a lot awesomer! Also, I'm going on a small vacation with my family this week, so I won't be able to update again until later next week. **

**Keep a look out for PewDiePie references and extreme randomness towards the end here. The chapter started out normal, but things began to go downhill during Conrad's small POV. So... yeah. You've been warned! ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 16: As Summer Continues**

* * *

The next three months seemed to come and go with the blink of an eye. Poppy didn't want to spend ALL of her time with Bilbo, and risk getting on his nerves, or drifting away from her friend Malva. But the two young hobbits were definitely getting closer. She tried to stop by Bag End a couple times a week, or he would visit her, and they often shared lunch by the Water. Once they even went tree-climbing again, although Poppy made sure not to go past the first couple of branches. They laughed, talked, teased, and blushed together. It was obvious, even to them, the strong chance of becoming more official, instead of just "sweet on each other".

Over the course of that summer, Bilbo and Poppy were falling in love.

They acted upon their shyness, although the hobbit-lad continued to fulfill the Plan. Bilbo decided he would ask her to go steady on his birthday, and hopefully even give her a "real" kiss afterwards. That was his goal, the main reason he couldn't wait for the event.

Everyone in Hobbiton seemed busier than ever. By the time August had rolled around, people were filing in and out of Bag End constantly in preparation for the almost-25-year-old's party, usually discussing food, entertainment, etc. And with summer at its peak, Poppy was becoming much busier with her "students". She kept the money she earned in a bag under her pillow, which left Conrad beyond curious.

"How much ya' got in there?" Her brother asked one day, while Poppy was sitting on her bedside and weighing the stash with her hand.

"I'm not sure," she replied, shrugging casually. "I've never bothered to count."

"Well it sure LOOKS like a lot."

"It probably is."

"You never even told me what you wanted to do with all that money."

"I'm buying Bilbo a birthday present."

Conrad's eyes widened. "Then it better be the mother of all birthday presents! Do you have anything in mind?"

Poppy hid the bag of coins back under her pillow. "Belladonna says he loves to write; I already know that, of course, but apparently he has to carry around a stack of papers in order to do so. The only journals they own, are for his studies only, so I wanted to find him a super-cool one, for freelance writing."

"You mean like a DIARY? Lame."

Poppy couldn't help but roll her eyes."No, Con, a JOURNAL. There's a difference."

"Sure, sure."

"There IS."

"You keep telling yourself that, but we both know we're talking about a diary."

"I'm not!" The 22-year-old sighed as she got to her feet. "Besides, it doesn't matter what you think, because I know Bilbo will love it."

"But a book full of blank pages? Really? That sounds a little boring," Conrad huffed. "You should get him something awesome, like a sword!"

"Oh yeah, I bet he'd use that all the time!" Poppy answered sarcastically. "His parents would have a fit."

"After all the trouble you keep dragging him into? I think they'd be glad that their son would have a weapon."

"If you're referring to the whole 'troll encounter' in the forest, that was a one-time thing."

"I guess you're right."

Suddenly they heard footsteps walking down the hall. Before either of them could go investigate, Mrs. Grubb poked her head in the doorway of Poppy's room, wearing a bright smile. Her white hair was pulled back into a loose bun, and her brown eyes were shining.

"Ah, there you two are!" The elderly hobbit woman said. "Hugo swore he saw you walk out the front door earlier, but I'm pretty sure he was just dreaming. Anyways, I ordered some cloth from Mrs. Dewfoot, to make some dresses, and-"

"What do we need new dresses for?" Poppy asked. She smiled apologetically for interrupting before continuing, "I thought the party invitation called for 'casual attire'?"

"We get to wear whatever we want!?" Conrad exclaimed. He did a little fist-pump in the air and cheered. "YES! Does that mean I don't have to wear a shirt?"

Nora smacked him in the arm and shared a look with her adopted daughter; both were horrified by the thought of him running around a social event in trousers only.

"Of COARSE you have to wear a shirt, Con!" The woman gasped.

"But it's always so hot outside! I'm gonna have sweat stains!"

"Eww!" Poppy grimaced. "I think you'll live. But seriously, why do we need new dresses?"

Mrs. Grubb grinned. "Just because it's a casual party, doesn't mean we girls shouldn't wear some nice clothes. I mean, a ball gown ensemble would obviously not be necessary, but I believe that Bilbo's birthday should at least require a pretty summer dress or two."

"Alright, I give up. Would you like me to go into the marketplace and pick up the cloth?"

"Yes, please! And try to make some more friends while you're out and about, too."

Poppy waited until both her brother and adopted mother had left, before snatching the makeshift coin purse from under her pillow, and following suit. Mr and Mrs Grubb had been trying to convince her to be more social lately. It was beginning to annoy her a little. Nonetheless she had to at least go run the small errand. The 22-year-old hummed as she walked out the front door, and down to the main road. After a few minutes of strolling, she recognized a girl with insanely curly, red hair, standing next to a few other young hobbits. At first Poppy wanted to sneak past them, but then she realized that Malva could probably help her break the ice. So she did her best to approach the group, without looking like a nervous Chihuahua.

"-to which I replied, 'You should've thought of that BEFORE you decided to crush my heart!" Malva was in the middle of exclaiming.

The other four hobbit tweens were nodding at her story, some frowning as if deep in thought. There were three girls and one boy, all about her age. Poppy tiptoed up to the redhead and tapped her on the shoulder. Malva whirled around, and the annoyed expression she'd acquired from her storytelling morphed into one of relief.

"Whoa, check it out!" She chimed, her eyes sparkling. "The new girl's finally come out to mingle!"

"I'd hardly call myself 'new'," Poppy answered with a small smile at the strangers. "I've been living here for at least four months."

"Likewise, the neighbors have hardly seen you. Allow me to introduce-"

Malva blurted out the names of the other hobbit tweens, and Poppy nodded like she had the best memory in all of Middle Earth. Sadly it went right over her head, although she swore that the boy's last name was Sackville-Baggins, and he kept giving her the Stink Eye. She tried to shrug it off as she joined the circle that her friend and neighbors had formed.

"What were you talking about?" Poppy asked. "Or whom, I guess I should say."

"Will." Malva spat the name like it was poison on her tongue. "He keeps wanting to make amends with me, but he doesn't understand that I pretty much hate him. Partially for what he did to me, partially for what he did to you."

"Wait a second!" One of the girls interrupted. "Is this Poppy Boffin? One of the kids adopted by Nora and Hugo Grubb?"

Malva rolled her eyes. "Obviously! Keep up, Gilly!"

Gilly, a lass with frizzy, chocolate-brown hair, seemed a bit older than Poppy, probably closer to her thirties than twenties. She ignored the redhead, and turned towards the other girls.

"Yes! She WAS the one we saw with Bilbo the other day," Gilly practically squealed. "They looked so adorable together!"

Another older hobbit tween with jet-black hair and brown eyes elbowed her in the side, making her squeak out in surprise. She gave Gilly a look that clearly said "shut up!", although Poppy wasn't sure why. Was the black-haired girl trying to avoid embarrassing her? Or was there something else going on, some secret that no one was willing to share?

"So, where were you headed?" Malva asked the 22-year-old, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, just into the marketplace," Poppy answered.

"What's going on with you and Bilbo?" Gilly continued. She had a hopeful look on her face, the exact opposite of the black-haired girl's. "Are you two courting?"

"What? N-no, not r-really."

"But you're close, right?"

"Ummmm...?"

"Aright, enough gossip, Gill," Malva interrupted. "If anything happens, I'm sure you'll be the first to know."

"But-!"

"Nerp!"

"-I just wanted to talk abou-!"

"Nyep!"

The redhead grabbed Poppy by the arm and half-dragged her away from the circle. They waved good-bye as the walked off, not slowing down until the other hobbits' voices were barely audible. Both girls sighed with relief once they had reached safety.

"Sorry about that," Malva said. "But once she starts gossiping, she never stops."

Poppy nodded slowly, trying not to point out how obvious that was. "Yeah, she seemed really curious about Bilbo and I."

"Can you blame her? That boy's never shown interest in anyone before. And since so many girls around here have been chasing after him for so long, well, your relationship is likely to become the talk of the town."

It was time to change the subject. "So, what's with that Sackville-Baggins kid? And why was he looking at me like I was a piece of moldy bread?"

"Oh, you mean Otho? I guess he has his reasons for disliking any girl who shares romantic relations with Bilbo. If anything happens, he's next in line as Bungo and Belladonna's heir."

Poppy took a moment to let that sink in before replying. "So he would inherit Bag End and everything?"

"Yes, but that's only if Bilbo stays a bachelor and never has a family of his own. In that case, Otho's children would inherit the lot," Malva smirked teasingly at her friend. "You could prevent that, you know."

The 22-year-old could feel her face warming up; she knew what Malva was hinting at, and accidentally let out a small squeak of embarrassment.

"I really hope Bag End stays with Bilbo's side of the family for a long time," she said, hoping to steer their conversation in a new direction.

"It will, as long as you two have lots of little hobbit babies!"

Poppy groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Here's an idea: how about we STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT?"

"Aww! But I was having so much fun!" Malva said, disappointed.

In an effort to regain some sanity to their conversation, they chatted about that group of tweens they'd been hanging out with earlier. They were all a tight-knit bunch, and not always the nicest, but they were good friends. Malva taught Poppy what she could about them, and they came up with ideas on how to help her join the group. By the time they had begun brainstorming, the marketplace loomed into view, carrying its noise along with it. But something was different on that particular day; a crowd of hobbits had joined around a tall-looking guy, who was awkwardly weaving his way through the shopping center. He had a narrow face, messy brown hair, and a scruffy beard, and did NOT look like a force to be reckoned with. Many of the children were trying to talk to him, but every time the chance arrived, their parents would steer them away, casting queer looks at the tall person. The two girls hid behind a wagon parked adjacent to the intruder, although they continued to watch him.

"What in the Shire?" Poppy gasped. "That dude's taller than a mountain!"

"That's because he's a MAN," Malva pointed out matter-of-factly. "A human, might I add. My father told me he'd heard a rumor of one traveling around here, selling strange trinkets."

"Really?" _I wonder if he has anything I could buy for Bilbo!_ "I-I kind of want to go investigate."

"Are you crazy!?" The redhead gasped. "I'm going with you! He seems a bit suspicious."

"Awesome! But remember, we need to go into all-stealth mode, alright? One with the shadows, unseen and unheard, like ninjas from the-"

"Or we could walk right up to him and say 'hi'."

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess that plan works, too."

* * *

Some time later, Conrad, Marcho, and Handing were walking through town. They had heard the rumors about a man in the marketplace, and felt the need to check it out. Not many residents of Hobbiton ever see much creatures other than their own kind up close, although many enjoy learning about them in stories and books.

"Everything seems normal so FAR," Conrad pointed out.

Suddenly an object appeared in his peripheral vision, and the boy spun around with fury in his eyes.

"BARRELS! What are you doing here!? I'm so sick of your sh-!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Marcho exclaimed. "They're just barrels."

"Eh, you're right. Bro fist?" Conrad replied, holding a fist out. His friends gave him confused looks, which he shrugged off before going back into his rage of randomness. "Wow, way to leave me hangin' bros! Ugh. Wait a minute... Where's Stephano?"

Handing and Marcho had gotten used to never being able to understand him, but today Poppy's brother was acting even weirder than usual. He got down on his knees, threw his hands in the air, and yelled, "STEPHANO! NOOOOOO!".

"Quiet down, please!" Handing begged. "People are starting to STARE!"

Conrad dramatically placed the back of his hand across his forehead and closed his eyes. "Stephano was a strong warrior, bros. In times of uncertainty, he led the way through our dark and questionable doom. He was the kind of guy you could trust, maybe even look up to. And now we've lost him. The enemy wants forgiveness, but NO! NO I say! My hatred for barrels will never cease."

Before anyone could stop him, he got to his feet and started saying "hello" to the chairs and plants. It was at that point that the other two boys turned and slowly walked off in the other direction. When the 12-year-old finally realized that they had left, he decided to go find his sister.

"They just can't handle 'all this'," he decided. "Cuz there ain't no party like a PewDiePie party."

"Conrad?" Poppy, who was getting ready to return home, raised her eyebrow at her brother from across the marketplace. She had a large brown envelope-like bag tucked under one arm, and in it, a journal she'd purchased from the man. It was green, with the word "adventure" written in gold, Elvish cursive on the cover. Mrs. Grubb had taught her how to read and write in basic Elvish, so that was how she knew what the word said. The first couple of pages in the journal were small maps, including one of the Shire. The rest were blank, perfect for writing in. Poppy thought it was really cool, and could only hope that Bilbo would like it, too.

"What are you doing over there?" She called.

"PEWDS DOES EVERYTHING!" Conrad practically yelled back.

The 22-year-old sighed, and gave Malva an apologetic look. "I think my brother's going into his spazz mode again. I'll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, but don't forget what we talked about today!" The redhead replied. "Those other hobbit tweens aren't half bad, really. And they'll be good friends, especially once they realize how great you are."

Poppy shook her head. "I don't think it will be that easy."

"Not with THAT attitude, it won't be!"

* * *

**I warned you that there'd be randomness, didn't I? XD Those were references to a guy on YouTube called PewDiePie, by the way. He's pretty funny.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update! **** I've been busy with my first few weeks of school (last-minute summer reading, supply-gathering, orientation, annoying syllabi, you know, the usual stuff). Also, my family and I went on a small vacation, and we didn't have Wi-Fi. But on the plus-side, I went back and edited the first twelve chapters. It turns out there were a LOT of typos… Irgh, so much frustration. Before I stop this A/N, I just want to add that, although Lobelia and Otho are supposed to be about 25-ish years younger than Bilbo, Otho is going to be 5 years younger, and Lobelia will be 5 years younger than HIM (Bilbo is 24, so Otho will be 19, and Lobelia 14). I apolagize if I anger anyone for not following Tolkien's charazterization/age-setup in that way, but hey, this is a fanfiction! I can (and will!) change things up if I want to.**

**I'm guessing you want me to start the chapter now. **

**Me: "Okay everyone, take your places!"**

***cue lights and camera***

**Conrad: "Wait! I can't find my costume."**

**Poppy: "You're wearing it."**

**Conrad: "….."**

**Conrad: "Oh… Whoops."**

**Poppy and I: *facepalm***

***curtains open***

***cue Sherlock theme song***

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Twenty-Second of September**

* * *

She awoke with a start. Sunlight poured in through the open window, as well as a light, September breeze. Poppy sighed as she sat up in bed; her hair was a tangled mess due to a whole night of frustrated tossing and turning. For some reason, the hobbit lass had been unable to fall asleep for a long time. But why? Before she could rack her brain for an answer, the bedroom door flew open, and her younger brother ran inside at ninja speed.

"GET UP GET UP GET UP!" The 12-year-old yelled, while jumping up and down at the foot of her bed.

Conrad leaped down, ransacked Poppy's dresser, and started throwing random clothes at her face. His sister gaped at him, her expression containing bewilderment, amusement, and most of all, confusion. She slowly padded across the hardwood floors, not wanting to ask questions.

_I think this kid's finally gone insane,_ she decided.

"I can NOT believe you slept in," Conrad called over his shoulder. "Do you know what time it is? It's TOMORROW!"

Poppy rolled her eyes, and tried to put together an outfit from the mess her brother had made of her clothes. "No der, kid. Why the eager-beaver mode today? You're normally not a morning person."

Conrad slowly turned his head around, and started at the 22-year-old in shock. He grabbed her by the arm and half-dragged her down the hallway, barely giving a "good morning" to his adopted parents as they passed. The boy pulled the calendar off the kitchen table and held it up for Poppy to see. His finger pointed harshly to the current date.

"September 22, sister dear," he stated matter-of-factly. "Bilbo's freaking birthday!"

"Son of a basket of fruit!" The hobbit tween shrieked. _That was why I couldn't sleep last night! I was too excited!_

Mr. Grubb and his wife cautiously trudged into the kitchen, their eyebrows raised as their adopted kids broke out into happy-dances. Conrad was doing an ecstatic combination of the shuffle and his "Gundam Style" moves, while Poppy settled for twirling around and throwing her arms in and out of an imaginary circle. Nonetheless, it made Hugo and Nora both concerned and frightened.

"Ummmm…. Good morning?" Mrs. Grubb said.

"Morniiiiiiiiiing!" The siblings answered in sing-song voices.

"What's with the dancing?" Mr. Grubb pressed.

Conrad stopped to catch his breath. "We're reeeally excited!"

"So I see," Nora replied, chuckling. "I wonder why?"

"Me, too," Her husband added. "I bet it has absolutely NOTHING to do with a certain birthday party today."

"You're right, that can't be it!"

"Are you kidding?" Poppy cheered. "We've been counting off the days!"

"And now we're gonna be late, because SOMEBODY just HAD to sleep in!" Conrad shot his sister a death look, then began to push her back down the hallway. "Move your butt, Poppy! You need to get dressed!"

"But-?"

"And brush your hair or whatever!"

"Hold on just a seco-!"

"Vamos, vamos! Andele, andele!"

"Are you speaking Spanish right now..?"

Mr. Grubb quickly stepped in front of the two young hobbits, blocking the walkway. He chuckled as Conrad began to grumble about the lack of time and the need to hurry up.

"Calm down, son," He said. "The party won't start until after lunch."

Poppy stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Hah! You see? I could've slept in for, like, another hour!"

The 12-year-old turned on his heels, threw his arms up in the air, and marched over to the parlor in defeat. "Fine! I'm never waking up early ever again!"

* * *

A now-25-year-old Bilbo Baggins, who was sitting at a large desk, gazed absentmindedly through the study window. His eyes locked on the Party Tree, where many volunteers were helping to set up for his party. He had offered to help, but Belladonna and Bungo insisted that he take the day off (it WAS his birthday, after all). So he relented, although staying locked up in Bag End only gave him more time to think, a factor he wasn't exactly thankful for.

Like most hobbits, Bilbo loved a good party. He and his parents ordered the presents a year ahead of time. Wagons filled to the brim with supplies had arrived weeks in advance, the food was organized according to each meal, and Bilbo took it upon himself to tick off the name of every invitation reply he received. Still lost in thought, he looked down at that list now; everyone had answered except for the Sandyman family, which wasn't a surprise. Belladonna felt apprehensive about inviting them in the first place (especially since THEY hadn't done so for THEM earlier that summer), but Bungo wanted to keep the Baggins name a respectable one, and that meant asking people to attend parties, even if you didn't want to.

Bilbo got to his feet, pushed the desk chair in, and shuffled down to the entrance hall. It was obvious how much his family loved to entertain. The second you entered Bag End, you could see a series of pegs set up for hats, jackets, and cloaks. In addition, their beautifully-crafted hobbit-hole contained plenty of guest rooms, and then some. They didn't expect one or two guests at a time, oh no! Bungo, Belladonna, and Bilbo liked their home filled with family and friends. But bigger events (birthday parties, for example) were almost always held by the Party Tree.

The tween sighed through closed lips as he perused the list of RSVP's; he smiled upon seeing Poppy's name, which was not only checked off, but circled three times, with two stars at the end. Not only was she attending, but so were Conrad, and the Grubbs. Most parties held by his family were fun and memorable, but Bilbo had a feeling that that year's was destined to be the best so far! In addition to having family and friends from all around the Shire, he also looked forward to seeing Gandalf, and the girl he couldn't stop thinking about.

"There's the birthday boy!" Belladonna cheered upon seeing her son standing in the entrance hall. She glided across the hardwood floors and hugged him, trying to suppress her emotions. The hobbit woman took a step back, and smiled as she studied him. "Oh, look at you! You're so grown-up!"

"I've looked this way for a long time, Mother," Bilbo answered, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Nothing's changed, really."

"I know, I know. But I didn't really notice… Not until now," Belladonna dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "You're not a little boy anymore. You're an adult now! Where did the time go?"

"I'm still a long way's away from being of-age."

"True. And remember this, son; no matter what happens, in my eyes, you'll always be my little boy."

Bungo walked in through the front door and gave Bilbo a pat on his shoulder.

"Enough with the tears, you two. This is supposed to be a FUN day, remember? A GOOD, FUN day," he reminded them. "Ah, speaking of which, Bilbo, do you still have Poppy's present?"

"Of course!" The tween responded excitedly. He quickly double-checked his shirt pocket, just to be sure.

"Good. That is NOT something you want to lose," Bungo answered.

"Oh, with a boy as handsome as this one? I'm sure Poppy will just be happy to see him," Belladonna decided, unable to hold back a light-hearted laugh.

Bilbo turned and padded back into the study. He wasn't allowed to help set up, and he'd already gotten dressed and combed out his hair. All he could do at that point, was watch and wait.

* * *

Since Poppy got out of bed at 10-ish, she still had about three hours until it was time to leave. She and Conrad were bouncing with excitement the entire time, and began to feel imprisoned in their modest hobbit-hole. At twelve o'clock, the 22-year-old put on a nice, cream-colored dress with a white blouse, sleeves, and underskirts. After that, Nora braided back a few strands of her light brown, slightly-wavy hair, letting the rest cascade down so that it framed Poppy's face nicely. But the girl was too enthusiastic (and nervous) to worry about her appearance. As Hugo, Nora, and Conrad were walking out the front door, Poppy hid Bilbo's present behind her back, feeling quite sneaky.

The second the family of four approached the Party Tree, they were overwhelmed with a happy, friendly atmosphere. Hobbit children ran carelessly across the fields, laughing all the while, while older hobbits played games, talked, and munched on snacks. Poppy instantly spotted the pile of gifts off to the side of the festivities; she quickly hid the precariously-wrapped package amongst all the others. She'd made sure to write "To: Bilbo" on it earlier, to avoid any mix-ups.

Just as she was getting ready to head back to the others, the 22-year-old felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around in time to hear Malva yell "BOO!" right in her ear. Poppy squeaked out in surprise, almost toppling over sideways in shock. Her friend started laughing so hard that she practically started rolling across the grass.

"You fall for that every time!" The redhead exclaimed in between fits of laughter.

"How can you still think it's funny?" Poppy asked, looking around to make sure nobody had seen.

"EVERYONE thinks it's funny. You wanna know why? Because you fall for it. Every. Single. Time!"

"Har-har. You're hilarious. Prank of the evening!"

"Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all night! Ha-ha!"

Malva continued to giggle as Poppy helped her to her feet. Together they explored all of the entertainments that the party had to offer. The games included quoits (the slightly-more-complicated version of 'horseshoes'), egg and spoon races, three-legged races, sack-jumping, and statues. Gandalf had his own little corner of the field, where he told stories about his adventures to and exchanged riddles with some of the children. There were tables filled with more food than Poppy had ever seen at one time, such as mushrooms, cold meats, mince pies, freshly-baked bread (with lots of butter!), pickles, ripe cheeses (perfectly-cut), scones, honey cakes, apple and blackberry tarts, and much more. As far as beverages go, Bungo made sure to keep the beer and wine on separate tables from the teas, coffees, and cups of water.

"This is amazing!" Poppy gasped. Belladonna had even hired a band to play. The music that wafted across the meadow was light-hearted, happy, and carefree.

"I know, right?" Malva answered. "Most Baggins parties are like this."

"They definitely invited a great deal of people!"

"Yes, it appears so," the red-haired girl bit her bottom lip in contemplation as she gazed around the clearing. "Do you think Will's coming?"

Poppy tried not to gulp. As much as she tried to be kind to all people, Will was the LAST person she wanted to see. He made her first party in Hobbiton a disaster for her, and she didn't feel like repeating that anytime soon.

_But this will be different_, she remembered. _Bilbo's coming this time! _

The thought instantly made Poppy feel a little more at ease. She could be herself around him- relaxed, even. Things felt… _right_, with Bilbo.

"Will probably won't come," Malva said solemnly. "Oh well. I never really liked him anyway. But at least your Bilbo will be here!"

"Could you please stop calling him that?" Poppy begged. "We're not even going steady."

"You never know!" Malva giggled. "That could change very soon."

"Oh great. What have you heard?"

"Nothing… Maybe."

"Good. I don't want to hear about it!" The light brown-haired girl protested. "Rumors only lead to trouble. Besides, if anything's going to happen, I want to be surprised."

"Okay, suit yourself!" Her friend huffed. "Speaking of the birthday boy, we should go track him down. Have you seen him at all?"

"No, not yet. How do you suggest we begin our search, though?"

Malva put on her thinking cap, and her face lit up as an idea came to her head. "We should go interrogate the children!"

"Genius Malva!" Poppy laughed as they skipped off, closer to the party tree.

The redhead shrugged. "Yeah, I have my moments."

* * *

After about ten minutes of asking around, the two girls found Bilbo sitting by Gandalf, huddled with a group of hobbit kids. He looked just as amazed by the stories, and just as entertained with the riddles, as the others did. Poppy giggled as she watched him, and shook her head in amusement.

"He can be so silly sometimes," she said, smiling. "I guess that's one of the things I love about him."

Malva raised her eyebrows. "Oooooh, so you LOVE him now, eh?"

"What? No. Maybe? Yes. Definitely. But… Irgh, I don't know!" Poppy whispered back.

"I'm only teasing; you don't have to decide right now," her friend answered. "Go ahead and sit with him. I need to check in on my brother, anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

The girls nodded before going their separate ways. Poppy tiptoed behind Bilbo and sat down to his right. The children made room for her in the circle, and she waved "hello"; she knew most of them already from her swim lessons. It took a few minutes for Bilbo to realize that she was sitting there. His brown eyes were transfixed on the elderly wizard, and a look of wonder slowly grew on his face.

"There I was, surrounded by a pack of Huorns!" Gandalf exclaimed. "They were mumbling amongst themselves, speaking in a language only known by the Elves, and their cousins, the Ents."

"Excuse me, Mister Wizard?" Came a cute voice from the opposite side of the circle. It was Estella. The nine-year-old's hand rose high in the air, and she batted her eyelashes at the story-teller. "What's an… Ant?"

"You mean an 'Ent'? Ah, they're a race of tree-like creatures, often said to be dwindling during this age. They're closely related to Huorns, trees with an almost spiritual presence in them."

"Oh!" Estella squeaked. She nodded her head and frowned in concentration. "I understand now."

Gandalf chuckled, then raised his eyebrows at the other children. "Good, good. Now, where was I?"

"The Huorns were surrounding you," Poppy answered.

Bilbo, who still hadn't noticed that she'd sat down next to him, let out a small yelp of surprise, causing the other young hobbits to laugh. Poppy couldn't help but giggle along. The birthday boy blushed a deep shade of crimson, but shook it off and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry! I-I was very entertained. I didn't even hear you walk over here," he rambled, trying to find the right words. "You gave me a bit of a fright."

"I know," Poppy replied as they exchanged a quick hug. "I'm sorry, too. And happy birthday! How does it feel to be 25?"

"A-_hem_," Gandalf cleared his throat, causing all of the hobbits to look in his direction. "When will I ever get to finish telling my story? It's a good one."

Bilbo and his more-than-a-crush quickly zipped their lips, although they couldn't help but share a goofy smile.

The elderly wizard nodded. "Alrighty then! So I knew I needed to think fast. I'd learned a bit of the Huorn-language from the Elves earlier in my adventures, but would it be enough to persuade the creatures that I didn't mean any harm? I _was_ trespassing, after all..."

* * *

And so the evening went on. After a good half-hour of storytelling and riddle-sharing, Bilbo excused himself to greet some family members that had just arrived. Poppy caught up with Malva, Conrad, Hending, and a few other hobbits her age. Together they participated in the games and competitions, which Bilbo joined in on. It was, without a doubt, the highlight of everyone's summer, the most fun they'd had in a while.

At around five o'clock, volunteers began setting the tables for dinner. Poppy was sitting on the grass next to Malva, when a familiar face appeared across from them. Otho, the boy she'd met a while ago, was talking to a girl not that much older than Conrad. She knew most of the people in Hobbiton, or had met a majority of them, so she became instantly curious.

"Hey, Mal, who's the new girl?" The 22-year-old asked her best friend.

"That's Lobelia. She's fourteen, I think," the redhead answered. "She and Otho are _betrothed_."

"People still do that?"

"Yes; in some places, it's actually pretty common."

"But why? What's the point?"

Malva sighed. "It think it's a rich-family thing. Otho's parents probably don't want to risk him marrying the wrong type of girl, and having their money fall into the wrong hands. In fact, I'm surprised Bungo and Belladonna didn't do the same for Bilbo."

Poppy's eyes widened. "They'd better not!"

The red-haired girl tossed her head back and laughed. "Ha-ha! Oh, the look on your face! Totally priceless!"

"Irgh! Stop scaring me!"

Poppy gave her friend a light push, causing Malva to fall face-first onto the grass (which wasn't a big deal, since she was already sitting down). The ginger continued to laugh uncontrollably, to the point where she began rolling around on the ground.

"You're ridiculous," The 22-year-old said, a hint of a smile showing on the corners of her lips.

Suddenly, Bungo stood up on the stage and rang the dinner bell. All of the guests instantly looked his way.

"Ladies and gentle-hobbits, please take your seats in an orderly fashion. Food will be served in just a matter of time!"

Poppy was getting ready to follow Malva over to where Conrad and Hending were already sitting, when Bilbo waved her over from across the way. She looked at her friend for reassurance, not wanting to ditch her or her brother.

"Go on, you," the redhead said, rolling her eyes. "We can hang out after dinner."

"Okay," The brown-haired girl replied. "If you see Hugo and Nora, will you please tell them that I'm sitting with Bilbo? I don't want them to worry."

"Sure, of course. Now go! Don't leave that poor boy waiting!"

Poppy forced herself not to run across the field. She would be eating dinner with Bilbo's relatives, after all. And not just his parents (she'd done that plenty of times before), but a majority of his extended family. _What if they don't like me?_ She couldn't help but wonder. _What if talk to much, or not enough? What if they think I'm annoying? What if I get food stuck in my teeth? Shoot, I bet I already _have _food stuck in my teeth…! Irgh, calm yourself! Just keep calm and be yourself._

She gave the birthday boy a bashful grin as she approached him, and he smiled back confidently in return. He took her hand in his, and together they walked back to the table dedicated towards family and close friends. Bungo and Belladonna were seated at the end, with Gandalf on their left. Bilbo pulled a chair out for Poppy, then sat down in the chair next to her. His parents, ever-social, instantly began a conversation.

"Hello, dear!" Belladonna greeted her. "Are you having a good time?"

"Absolutely!" Poppy answered. "The best!"

Her blue-green eyes slowly wandered diagonally to the left, where Gandalf was sitting. He looked incredibly out of place amongst the hobbits (his chair was undoubtedly too small for him). It would be an understatement to say that he towered over all of the other guests.

_It's really nice that he came to support Bilbo and his family_, she decided. _Especially since he doesn't get to stop by very often._

"So Gandalf," Poppy began, trying to start a conversation. "How long will you be in town?"

Gandalf's kind, grey eyes looked up from over the tip of his glass; his lips were slightly red-colored from the wine he was drinking, and he wore his usual happy-go-lucky smile. "Not much longer, I'm afraid. I'm meeting up with an old friend in just a few days time. Therefore I can only stay here for a short while."

"Aww, that's a bummer. Con and I didn't really get to hang out with you last time." The hobbit lass turned to her left and whispered in Bilbo's ear, "_Are the fireworks still on_?"

The lad nodded enthusiastically. "_You bet!_ _Gandalf would never pass up an opportunity to show off his fireworks._"

"_What time?_"

A relative sitting a few chairs down cleared her throat quite loudly in their direction, and gave them a look that clearly said, "Whispering is rude!".

Bilbo nodded back, then answered to Poppy. _"Sometime fter supper._"

Dinner was nice. Bilbo's family made her feel welcome, although some relatives from Bungo's side kept casting her queer looks. All in all, she had fun spending time with the birthday boy, and getting to know Gandalf. The food was great, too.

Before Poppy knew it, the dishes were being cleared, and the guests were running off towards the dance floor. Bilbo nodded in that direction, a grin on his face.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm a really good dancer?" He asked.

"No, I don't believe so," she replied. "Are you?"

The hobbit lad got to his feet, took her by the hand, and guided her towards the band.

"I sure hope so!" He exclaimed over the loud music. "Otherwise I'm about to make a complete fool of myself!"

Poppy tossed her head back and laughed; things were about to get interesting!

* * *

**Sorry guys, I'm going to have to end it there. **** The next chapter will continue off from there, and even a bit beyond the party. I should hopefully be able to update next weekend, but it all depends on how much homework I have.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! **** Until next time!**

**-Swimchick**


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